What The Heart Wants
by Venus.Holt
Summary: Things have been different for Emma since they were rescued from the book. After some extremely potent apple cider, the blonde makes a confession, that doesn't turn out as well as she might have hoped. While trying to apologize a drunk Emma transports Regina and herself back to the Enchanted Forest. Now they must survive long enough to make it home, even if it's from themselves.
1. Chapter 1

This story takes place after Lily is reunited with her mother. Emma tells Hook she loves him and Regina has Robin, but Gold is still the Dark One. Don't worry, it will be SwanQueen.

 **What The Heart Wants**

 **Chapter1**

The cooler weather made for a perfect night to make her rounds with the windows rolled down. The stereo was on, but way down low. She had it on more for background noise than anything. Emma cruised the streets of Storybrooke. She was doing her last rounds of the evening before heading back to the station to finish up her daily reports.

The last few months had been crazy. Cruella was dead, Ursula had returned to the sea with her father, and Maleficent had her daughter back. Of course, there was the whole author thing. A spell had been placed on Gold's heart to keep him alive until they could find another way to save him. Henry had broken the quill, so now everything seemed to be going back to normal for everyone. For everyone except Emma.

Emma had told Killian that she loved him. The truth was she did, to a certain degree. The problem was that it wasn't the same way that he loved her, but she couldn't tell him that. Hell, she couldn't tell anyone that. Killian wanted more from their relationship than she was willing to give. The blonde took all of the extra hours at the station. She did everything she could to work the late shifts just to have an excuse not see the pirate.

This plan also had some drawbacks. She never had time to do what she wanted to do. She also wasn't able to see or parents or Henry very much, so the teen spent more time at Regina's. The blonde wasn't sure what was wrong with her. She did know that ever since they got back from the twisted storybook plot, she felt differently.

Emma had been so deep in thought, she hadn't noticed she stopped in front of the Mayor's house. When she looked up and realized where she was, she gasped. _What in the hell was wrong with her?_ The downstairs lights were on and the Sheriff looked down at the clock on the radio. She knew that the 'completed' family inside had just finished dinner. They were probably going into the family room to watch TV before bed. That's what she, Regina, and Henry would do when she had come over for dinner in the past.

Through the window, she could see Robin, laughing with Henry and Roland over something. They looked genuinely happy, and part of her wanted to smile at that, but another part refused to let her. She watched as Henry moved his arms as he talked to or show whatever he was explaining. After a few minutes, she could feel herself frown. Regina had not appeared in the window yet. The blonde shrugged, maybe she was doing the dishes or something.

"Good evening Sheriff." Regina's voice rang out in the blonde's ear, causing her to jump. She whipped her head to the opposite side of the car where the Mayor stood.

"Hey Regina, I was just" She paused for a second. She had no idea what she was doing here, but she recovered quickly, "swinging by to see Henry."

Regina raised an eyebrow, "Why didn't you come to the door?"

Emma let out a choked chuckle, "I didn't want to interrupt. I was doing my last rounds for the night and thought I would stop by."

Regina smiled, "You are welcome to come in Emma, and Henry would love to see you."

Emma looked back towards the house and could see Robin still laughing. She turned back to Regina, "Nah, that's okay. I have some paperwork I need to get done. Maybe another time."

Regina leaned in closer, "Why are you working so many hours? I made sure you had extra deputies. You shouldn't be killing yourself, Miss Swan and besides, Henry misses you."

Emma gave a tight-lipped smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I miss him too, but I still have to break the new guys in, so it'll be just a bit longer."

The Mayor crossed her arms over her chest as a cold burst of wind whipped past, "Is everything all right?"

The Sheriff peered into the brown eyes that looked back at her, "Yeah, everything is fine, just busy." She shifted in her seat and moved the gear shift into drive, "I'll see you later." She gave an elaborate attempt at a smile, but it still felt forced, even to her.

Regina stood up straight to be sure she was out of the way and smiled. Emma could see in her face that she wanted to push the conversation for more information. The Sheriff had nothing more to offer now. She hadn't expected getting caught being there, nor was she sure why she had gone there, to begin with.

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Regina watched the police car drive away. She could tell Emma was hiding something. she could always tell when the blonde was lying. She had thought the two of them had become very close in the last few months. Come to think of it, Regina was pretty sure that Emma was her only friend in town.

The brunette glanced up at the house and could see the view Emma had seen. Robin, Henry, and Roland were all laid out on the couch smiling at one another. Henry picked up a pillow and tossed it at the older man who in turn, grabbed the teen, tickling him.

Had Emma been jealous of Robin's and Henry's relationship? She rubbed her forehead with her hand. Something was definitely wrong with the sheriff, and she needed to find out what. She wouldn't be a friend if she didn't, or at least that is what she thought a friend would do. The Mayor wasn't entirely sure because she hadn't had many friends in her life.

She walked back in the house closing the door behind her and hanging up her coat on the hook. Regina started to join the guys in the family room, but instead, she walked back into the kitchen. Her phone was lying on the island so she picked it up. She texted the Sheriff, _'I know something is wrong. Why won't you tell me what it is?'_

The phone beeped and it was Emma responding, _'I'm fine Regina.'_

The brunette sighed heavily, _'I thought we were friends.'_

 _'We are.'_ Emma replied.

 _'Then why do you keep lying to me? Friends tell each other things.'_ Regina said.

 _'I've just had a lot on my mind, but nothing is wrong.'_ The blonde texted back.

Regina sighed again, _'Are there pirate troubles?'_ She asked, glad Emma wasn't there to see her roll her eyes at the thought of the makeup wearing man.

Emma took longer to respond this time. The Mayor wasn't sure if that was an indication of what was wrong or if the blonde was busy doing something else. The phone beeped, _'Everything is fine.'_

Regina was growing irritated. She wanted to go down to the station right now and give Emma a piece of her mind. She may not know all the things friends do and say to one another, but she was pretty sure that lying was not one of them. She looked at the clock on the microwave and realized it was time for the boys to go to sleep. Before heading into the other room, she sent Emma, _'Fine, don't tell me, Miss. Swan, I will let it go for the night, but you will talk to me about it soon.'_

Emma didn't respond, not even with a smart-ass comment like she would normally do. That just validated that there was indeed something wrong with the Sheriff. The brunette shook her head slowly on her way to direct the boys to bed.

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The Sheriff raised her head from the desk. Realizing the pain in her back, neck, and shoulders that she had fallen asleep at the station again. She stretched her arms above her head as she attempted to straighten her back. The blonde really needed to stop falling asleep like this.

"Em? What are you doing here?" David asked as he rounded the corner.

Emma stood up, pushing her chair back, "I work here dad." She said, not meaning for it to sound as sarcastic as it did.

David sat his lunch down on the desk. He slipped his jacket off and hung it on the back of his chair. "I was supposed to be relieving Ruby this morning, but instead, it is you, again."

Emma didn't answer. she pulled out the drawer on her desk and grabbed her toothbrush. She started towards the bathroom. She wasn't in the mood to listen to some lecture about how she needed to take better care of herself.

"Emma, you really need to go home and get some sleep. Your mother and I are worried about you, and you are driving your poor boyfriend mad. Did something happen between you two?" He called after her.

The Sheriff brushed her teeth quickly, then returned back to her desk. Her father's eyes on her every move, "Look, I am fine. I'm just working through some stuff and need time away from him."

David smiled, "I see. You know, you might want to start getting better sleep if you plan to work through anything."

Emma ignored his comment, "I'm going over to the diner for coffee, you want me to bring you back anything?"

He frowned, "No I'm good, thanks."

The blonde nodded, grabbed her jacket off the back of the chair, then she disappeared out the door. She still had trouble sleeping after they came back from their alternate reality. Emma found it hard to look at Mary Margret at times. When they were inside the book, she remembered how the other woman treated her. She knew it wasn't real, but she had trouble convincing her mind that at times.

It had been a couple of days since she found herself parked in front of the Mayor's mansion. Emma had ignored four phone calls from Regina, and two texts. She hadn't even bothered to listen to the voice mails the brunette had left.

Emma wasn't upset with the Mayor. She just didn't want to have to answer her questions. The blonde wasn't sure as to what was the matter. She was afraid of what might come out of her mouth if she attempted to put everything into words.

Still deep in thought, she opened the door to the diner and walked in. She felt like she was in a haze, which was probably true because she hadn't slept well in the last couple of days. Months really. She failed to see the table where Regina, Robin, Roland, and Henry were having breakfast.

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The bell over the diner door rang, causing Regina to look up from her plate. She watched almost in horror as Emma walked in. She had dark circles under her eyes. She looked as though she were wearing the same clothes she had worn two nights ago.

Robin and Henry sat across from Regina and Roland, with their backs to the door. The Archer had been talking to the boys about a guy's weekend in the woods tonight and the Mayor had no interest. She had pretended to be excited for the boy's sake, but she was looking forward to a weekend without them.

Regina watched as Granny passed the blonde a hot cup of coffee. The old woman smiled at something Emma said, and then the blonde turned and headed for the exit.

"I'll be right back." The Queen said to Robin. He smiled and then continued to talk to the boys about what they were going to be doing on their camping trip.

Regina stood and followed the Sheriff outside. Walking faster she caught up to the younger woman and gently grabbed her elbow, "Emma?"

Emma whirled around spilling some of her coffee on her hand, "Shit." She hissed as the hot liquid dripped from her palm.

"Oh god, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." The Mayor apologized.

The blonde wiped her hand off on her jeans, "It's okay, I've got another hand."

Regina narrowed her eyes, "Are you upset with me?"

Emma looked confused, "What? No, I've just been busy."

"So busy you couldn't even answer my calls?" The Mayor asked, taking a closer looking at the blonde's face. She could see a strange sadness in her eyes, which made the Queen frown.

Before Emma could respond, Killian's voice called, as he walked closer, "Swan? Where have you been? I have been looking everywhere for you."

Regina was always annoyed when in the presence of the pirate. Yet she swore she heard an annoyed sigh escape the blonde's lips as well. The Queen didn't say anything. She just watched theSheriff's features.

"Sorry Killian, I got caught up at work," Emma said not looking at the pirate.

"Your father said you slept at the station again, is that true?" Concern was plastered on Hook's face.

The brunette watched the younger woman clench her jaw. She remained quiet while the pirate continued, "You need to go home and get some sleep Swan. You don't look like yourself." He turned towards Regina and scowled, "What the hell is so important that you have her working these hours. This is bloody madness."

Regina's eyes widened and she looked at Emma. The blonde's eyes were almost pleading with her. She turned back to Hook, "She is the Sheriff of this town and the Savior, so her first concern is for the people. That sometimes includes long hours." She didn't exactly know what to say, but she knew Emma was trying to get the pirate to go away.

Hook grabbed Emma by the arm and glared at the Mayor, "Get someone else, your majesty." He yanked the blonde's arm so she would follow him.

The blonde jerked her arm free, "Get your hand off of me."

"Emma you need to go home and rest." He said softening his features.

"You don't own me Killian, and if you ever put your hand on me again, you will lose it like you did the other one," Emma growled before storming off.

Regina was a little dumbfounded. She would never have thought that Emma would threaten her precious pirate. She did say in front of everyone that she loved him. She couldn't do anything but watch the sheriff walk away.

"What the hell was that about?" Hook asked more to himself, causing the queen to look at him.

"Maybe if you learned to keep your filthy hand to yourself, you might not come across so repulsive. Then again, that's open for debate." Regina sneered as she turned to walk back into the diner.

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Emma went to the station. After a long argument with her father, he finally agreed to let her stay. Of course, with the condition, she took a nap on one of the cots. She thought at first that she would never fall asleep, but after a while, she fell into a restful slumber.

She opened her eyes to her father tapping her lightly on the shoulder.

"Hey Em, I'm about to head home, are you coming?"

She rubbed her eyes and looked up to the window noticing the sun was going down, "What time is it?"

David smiled, "It's almost seven."

Emma sat up swinging her feet over the edge of the cot, "Why did you let me sleep for so long?"

Her father laughed, "Because you needed it Em. Are you coming home with me?"

Emma sighed, "No, I'm umm, gonna stay here for a while."

"All right, but you are going to have to talk about what's going on some time. You can't keep going like this and you can't keep ignoring Hook." He said standing up.

She looked up at him, "I talked to him today."

Her father raised his eyebrow, "Threatening him doesn't count Em."

She stood up and walked passed him, "I don't want to talk about it right now."

David nodded and walked away. She knew she was taking whatever this was out on everyone, but she couldn't help it. She felt like she was someone else now, and everything had changed. The more she thought about Hook, the more she realized her feelings were far from the same as his.

She heard the front door open and then close, within seconds it opened again. She called out, walking to her desk, "Did you forget something dad?"

When she looked up, she saw that Regina had come in carrying a couple of paper bags, "Not your father. Although I did pass him on my way in."

Emma smiled, but then let it fall, "What are you doing here?"

Regina avoided eye contact for a moment as she placed the bags down on the desk, "Well, I thought I would bring dinner."

Emma watched the woman pull two Styrofoam containers from one of the bags. She did consider Regina a friend, but it wasn't often that she was on the receiving end of the Queen's gift giving.

"Where's Robin?" The Sheriff asked.

The Mayor looked up, feeling a little nervous about telling her that their son and Robin were bonding. "He took the boys camping for the weekend."

There was a slight sinking feeling in the blonde's heart at the fact that Henry liked the Archer so much. She really was glad that the Queen had gotten her happy ending. Yet, there was an irrational sadness she felt when she thought of Robin in the mansion. It was almost like he had taken her family from her.

"Oh," Emma said calmly looking anywhere but at Regina.

The Mayor slid one of the containers towards the blonde, "Grilled cheese and fries."

Emma smiled briefly, "Thank you."

Regina smiled back, "You're welcome."

Emma sat down behind her desk as Regina pulled up a chair in front. The blonde wasn't really hungry. She figured she would force herself to eat the food that Regina had so generously brought.

The entire meal went by in awkward silence. Emma wanted to talk to the other woman, but she didn't know what to say. She didn't completely understand why she was so jealous of Robin, or why she no longer wanted to be with Hook.

After throwing away the containers, Regina grabbed the other bag. She pulled out a bottle of apple cider, "I thought maybe you could use a drink."

Emma eyed her with suspicion, "I could totally use a drink, but I don't think your apple cider is going to do the trick."

A large smile crossed the Mayor's lips, "This is a very special batch, Miss Swan. It holds a mean punch."

Emma raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

Regina produced two glasses from the bag and filled them with the amber colored liquid. She passed one to the Sheriff, "It's potent so beware."

Emma smirked, throwing all the contents of her glass into her mouth and swallowing. She then pushed the empty glass back to the mayor to fill it again. "I have a pretty high tolerance when it comes to alcohol."

Regina smiled, "We will see about that." She filled the glass and handed back.

After a few glasses, Emma was starting to feel the effects. Her face was tingling and she was feeling a lot more relaxed.

"What is going on with you and Hook?" Regina asked. By the glassy look in her eye, she knew the alcohol was working.

Emma waited for the mayor to fill her glass again and then said, "I think we have been spending too much time together."

Regina hummed into her glass. She lowered it slightly to ask, "I thought that's what you wanted, to spend more time with the pirate?"

Emma took another drink from her glass, "I thought that too, but I don't know."

Regina let a few moments of silence pass before asking, "So, what happened that made you so unsure?"

The Sheriff stood up and started collecting her trash. She was suddenly feeling like she wanted to tell the older woman everything. At the same time, she wasn't sure herself.

She sighed, "I don't know. He told me that he loved me before we got sucked into that book. When I saw him die by my mother's hand I didn't want" She paused as she threw her trash into the bin, "I didn't want to be alone."

Regina furrowed her brows, "I don't understand. Are you saying you only told the pirate you loved him because you didn't want to be alone?"

Emma turned and looked out the window, the sun had disappeared and the street lights had come on, "Yes. No? I don't know."

The Queen stood and walked towards the window, "Emma, you can talk to me. I promise I won't judge you, just tell me what is going on."

The blonde continued facing the window. "Everything has been so," She struggled to find the words, "Different since we all got back."

Regina remained quiet and watched Emma walk back to the desk to take another gulp of her drink. She walked up to Regina, "It's you."

"It's me what dear?" Regina asked in confusion.

Emma let her eyes scan the queen's features and then said, "Forget it." She choked out a chuckle and walked back to the desk to pour another drink.

Regina rubbed her forehead, "No, tell me what you mean." She followed the blonde.

The sheriff filled her glass to the brim, and then chugged it all. She turned to face the Queen again, "You are all that I think about, well you and Henry. I miss how things were before, and now everything has changed. Robin has 'completed' your family, and Henry couldn't seem happier."

Regina watched the blonde's face as she spoke. She didn't understand what the problem was. She missed hanging out with Emma too, but it was the Sheriff who pulled away. She still invited her to dinners and other functions, but she continues to give excuses. The mayor had been partly right about the younger woman being jealous, but there seemed to be more to it. Before she knew what was happening, Emma leaned in and pressed her lips to Regina's.

Emma could feel the mayor stiffen and she pulled back, "I'm sorry."

Regina's eyes were wide, but now her head was swimming. She finally understood what the blonde had been trying to tell her. She took a couple of steps back and placed her fingers where the blonde's lips had been. "Emma, I" She couldn't find the words, so instead she bolted for the door.

"Regina! Wait, I'm sorry." Emma called after her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter2**

Regina had barely made it out of the station door before she used her magic to teleport to her vault. It seemed that most of the time when she needed to think or be alone she would come here. The brunette wasn't sure why except that it was where all the 'old' her was stored or at least the memories of the 'old' her.

She felt like the world was crashing down around her. The Mayor thought that Emma had only been jealous of Henry's and Robin's relationship. To her shock, the Sheriff was jealous of the whole situation.

The Queen sat down on a trunk in the corner and leaned her head against the cold stone wall closing her eyes. _Why had Emma done that?_ Her head was spinning. _What was she supposed to do with that?_ She had fought so hard to get Robin back, with Emma's help, she might add, and now she wanted to make a move.

"Regina?" Emma's voice called from the stairs.

The Mayor raised her head and sighed, "In here Miss Swan."

The Sheriff slowly appeared from around the corner, "Look, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

Anger rose in the brunette, "You think? What the hell was that, Miss Swan?"

Emma took a few steps closer. From the way she swayed, the Queen was aware of how much alcohol the younger woman had actually ingested. "I don't know why I did that, I mean I do, sort of."

Regina stood up and let out an annoyed sighed, "Just spit it out Sheriff, I'm tired of listening to your riddles."

The blonde swallowed and slipped her hands into her back pockets, "I like you, Regina."

The Mayor raised an eyebrow, "You like several people Miss Swan, I don't see you running around kissing them."

Emma blushed and looked down, "Yeah I know, but that's not what I mean."

"Damn it, Swan, just say whatever it is you have to say." Regina snapped.

The blonde looked up to find brown eyes glaring at her, "I have feelings for you."

Even though Regina's subconscious knew what the other woman was trying to say. The rest of her was surprised. The shock was quick to wear off as it was replaced by anger and confusion, "Why are you doing this? I thought you wanted me to find my happy ending?"

Emma's eyes shot up to meet the brown ones that stare back at her, "I did, I do." She lowered her head, "I'm sorry."

The Queen crossed her arms, "Quit saying you're sorry. It isn't helping, and if you wanted me to be happy you wouldn't be doing this. I have been trying to be a friend to you Miss Swan, but clearly, that isn't enough."

Emma closed her eyes and then slowly opened them, "Regina, I"

"Just leave Swan. I can't deal with this right now." Regina's words were cold and stung.

Emma turned to walk away, but then stopped a few feet from the stairs, "Can't we just pretend it didn't happen. The night was going so well and"

Regina interrupted, "And you screwed it up, like always." The Queen could see the pained look on the blonde's face, but she wasn't thinking clearly herself.

Emma swayed slightly as she leaned up against a shelf that was built into the stone. Regina turned her back to the blonde and sheriff picked up a weird vase from the shelf. "Look, I'm sorry for upsetting you, that wasn't my intention."

The brunette whipped around to face her. "Why does this feel like De Ja Vu, I remember having a similar conversation with you not too terribly long ago. Like when you brought Marion back." The Queen noticed the vase in the other woman's hand and walked over to take it from her. "How many times do I have to tell you not to touch things in here?" As she reached to grab it, Emma pulled back causing the vase to escape her grasp and fall to the floor shattering.

Emma was about to apologize to the now very furious Queen when the vault started to shake violently. The blonde reached out, grabbing hold of the Mayor's arm for stability.

Regina's eyes were wide, "What have you done?"

"Me? You were the one trying to snatch things." Emma argued.

The violent shaking caused both women to fall to the ground. Smoke and dust enveloped them making it hard to even see one another. After a few seconds, the shaking stopped. The smoke began to slowly fade.

Regina could feel the grass beneath her hands instead of the cold stone. She squinted as she looked through the fading smoke. The mayor could hear trickling water and birds.

Emma and the Mayor stood up, brushing the dust from their clothes. The blonde looked around, "No big deal, we just ended up in the woods." She gave a lopsided grin.

Regina didn't respond. She walked towards the trickling water and noticed a small stream. There was something nostalgic about this area, but not from Storybrooke. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her magic was coursing full force through her veins and at that moment she knew exactly where they were. The queen turned and glared at the still intoxicated blonde, "You idiot! We are in the Enchanted Forest."

Emma's eyebrows shot up, "You can get us back, right?"

"Yes, because that has worked out so easily before." She rolled her eyes.

It was night here the same as it was in the other world. Luckily the moon was full, lighting the forest floor. Of all the places to be stuck, she was stuck here with the clumsy Savior. Great.

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Emma knelt by the stream splashing the cold water on her face. Her head was pounding, and she felt nauseous. That apple cider of Regina's was no joke.

The Queen had informed her last night that they would be sleeping here. It was cold, but the mayor had cast a warmth spell over them so they didn't freeze to death during the night.

The unfortunate thing about the Queen's cider was that it hadn't taken her memory. She was fully aware of everything she said and did. She was finding it impossible to look Regina in the eyes. She refused to speak unless the older woman spoke to her first. She was embarrassed that she wasn't able to control her actions while under the influence. 'Note to self, no more drinking while anywhere near the Mayor.'

Regina walked up to the stream, several feet from where the blonde was kneeling and did the same. Emma tried not to pay attention, but she couldn't help herself. Deep down the Sheriff knew she harbored a different feeling for the Queen. Yet the confession of her feelings to Regina had come as a shock, even to herself. She found herself wishing she could have a redo on last night. The kiss had been great for Emma. She had wondered a few times before what those lips might feel like. Every time the thought crept into her mind, she would shake it off. She had been living in denial.

"What are you staring at?" Regina snapped.

Emma had been so deep in thought she didn't realize she was still staring at the other woman, "Nothing. I'm so..."

"Miss Swan, do not finish that sentence, I'm warning you." The Queen glared.

Emma let her eyes fall to the ground and closed her mouth. Why had she kissed her? She could blame the alcohol, but she couldn't deny wanting to do it.

She wiped her face off on the bottom of her shirt, "So what do we do now?"

Regina stood and glanced around, "I guess we should first try and make it to my castle. We can try and come up with a plan once we get there."

Emma stood and nodded, "After you." She gestured with her hand towards Regina.

The Mayor clenched her jaw and then rolled her eyes. "I have to cast a compass spell to get us out of this forest first, then we can head towards our destination."

Emma hated that all the work they had done to build a friendship had crumbled into ashes overnight. She mentally cursed herself for being so stupid and careless. She needs to learn that if she can't say or do things while sober, then maybe they shouldn't be said or done at all.

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The spell led them through the forest for over two hours before they finally emerged onto a gravel road. They had made it this far without any further incident. All the queen could do now was hope there wouldn't be any to come.

"How long will it take to get to your castle, because I'm starving and my feet hurt?" Emma asked.

Regina refused to look at the other woman. She had done nothing but complain since they had left the stream. She looked down the road in one direction and then in the other.

"Hey, why haven't you just poofed us there yet?" Emma asked.

Still not looking at the Sheriff she said, "First of all, I do not poof and second it is a little more complicated than that."

That was a lie, but there was no way she could let the other woman get that close to her again. In order to 'poof' them, as Emma had said, she would need to basically hug the sheriff, and that was not happening. She had quite enough closeness last night, and she couldn't go through that again.

The Mayor pointed in one direction down the road, "We go this way." She began walking.

Emma's footsteps crunched through the gravel. This just reminded the Queen of how vulnerable they were being here. The Sheriff may have been here before, but that only meant she survived that time. Who knows what might happen this time. This isn't exactly the land everyone is running to vacation in.

She could feel the younger woman's eyes boring into her back. Regina was not going to say anything that might strike up some unwanted conversation. She didn't even know where to begin, and she was angry with the blonde. It was her fault they were here.

"Halt there!" A man's voice shouted from further up the road.

Regina could see the man as they rounded a curve. He dressed in black leather pants and a black and gray tunic. A black helmet that was sparsely decorated with long black feathers, covered his head.

"Who is that?" Emma asked.

Regina knew exactly who the man was. Well, at least who he worked for, "He is one of my guards."

A woman screamed as they came closer. There was a Vardo parked just off to the side of the road. One guard was directing an old man down from the driver's seat. The closer they got they could see two other guards had pulled a younger woman from the back of the Vardo. One of the other guards held the woman while the other was attempting to kiss her.

Emma started to rush passed the Mayor in an attempt to stop the situation, but Regina held her back with her arm, "No, don't."

"You can't let them do this, those people haven't done anything." Emma protested.

Regina closed her eyes for a second. What her guards were doing is something she would have told them to do in the past, but now, Emma was right. There was no way they could stand by and watch this happen. The Mayor had come too far to even be considered the same person.

"Hey, you!" She shouted at the first guard, "What is the meaning of this?"

The man clearly didn't recognize the woman in front of him. He laughed taking a step towards her, "What concern is it of yours, wench?"

Regina raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I am going to give you one more chance to answer my question before I show you great pain."

The man sneered at her, but his smile remained, "Did you hear that boys? This wench has just threatened one of her majesty's royal guards."

The one guard pulled his head back from trying to kiss the other woman and laughed, "Oh yeah? Well, there is only one punishment for a crime such as that."

"Death." The third guard said as he struggled to hold onto the younger woman.

The first guard pulled his sword from his sheath. "That doesn't mean we can't have some fun with you two harlots before we kill you."

Regina's lips curled up, but her eyes flashed fury. With a smooth motion of her hand, she was holding the first guard in the air by his throat. He grunted as he levitated several feet above the ground. The second guard had pulled his sword and charged towards her. With a flick of her wrist, the man was lifted and flung into a nearby tree. he was knocked instantly unconscious.

She walked closer to the man that floated in the air. She waved her left hand, changing her clothes into the Evil Queen's signature dress. "Her Majesty asked you a question."

His eyes grew large as he realized his mistake. She released her grip on him and he landed on the ground with a loud thud.

"Your Majesty, we did not recognize you." He choked out as he bent forward in a show of respect.

Regina remembered the pantsuit she had been wearing. She guessed she did look a little underdressed to be recognized as the Evil Queen.

The third guard was dumbfounded, yet he still restrained the young woman. She had stopped struggling as her eyes were filled with just as much surprise as the two guards. The old man was now kneeling off to her right.

"Now, I repeat." She pointed to the first guard, "What is the meaning of this?"

"We were under orders to stop anyone heading for the castle, your majesty." He said staring down at the Mayor's feet.

"You", she said to the third guard who was still holding the girl, "Release her."

He quickly withdrew his hand and the young woman ran toward the old man, "Papa, are you all right?"

Emma came to stand beside the Queen, not letting her eyes fall from the two guards. The second guard was starting to come to from where he lay at the base of the tree.

The younger woman looked up at Regina. Her thick wavy black locks flowed down her shoulders. Anger now replaced the fear she once had in her green eyes, "Haven't we all suffered enough?" The girl stood looking the Queen straight in the eye. "You already took my mother, what else could you possibly want from us?"

Regina looked up at the girl in confusion. She knows that she was Evil when she ruled these lands, but that was a long time ago. She hadn't been there since the year she sent Henry and Emma away to New York.

The Queen looked at the first soldier, "Who gave you these orders?"

"You did." He answered.

"Look at me." She growled. Looking into the eyes of the Queen was forbidden, yet disobeying was worse. He looked up at her and she continued, "Did you hear the order from my mouth?"

The first guard looked back at the other two. "Well no, we get our order from our commanding officer and he gets them from you."

"I never gave such orders. I haven't been here for over a year. Who is your commanding officer?" She asked.

The guard swallowed, "General Shaw."

Regina clenched her jaw, flexing the muscles there. That dirty rat. He had kissed her ass for years and on a couple of occasions asked for her hand in order for him to rule by her side. Now in her absence, he thought it was a good idea to rule while she was away.

The young dark haired woman looked up at her, "You haven't been here in over a year?"

Regina looked down at the woman, "No, so it was not my orders that were given to harass you or your family. I do intend to get to the bottom of this." She looked at the first guard, "You and your men are going to escort me and my fellow companions to the castle."

The man only nodded. He and the other two guards mounted their horses and waited for further instructions.

The old man was now climbing back up into his seat. "Please release my wife your majesty and I will take you wherever you want to go."

Had Regina still been the Evil Queen she would have laughed in the man's face. She would have told him that she gave the orders and she would never release a prisoner. She wasn't that woman anymore.

She took a deep breath, "I promise you, sir, if your wife is being held at my castle, she will be released. And rather you agree to give my friend and I a lift or not."

He looked over at his daughter and then back to the Queen, "All right."

"Papa, you can't trust her." The younger brunette said.

Emma stepped forward, "She's not the same person she once was. You can trust her."

The old man stared at the blonde for a moment. Climbing back up into the driver's seat of the Vardo, he said, "Well, let's get going, shall we? You two ladies can ride in the back with Esmeralda."

As the two women followed the pretty dark haired woman to the back of the wagon, she turned to the queen. "After you, your majesty." Her tone was snarky and by the way, she was watching Regina, it was obvious she didn't trust the older brunette.

The Mayor heard a chuckle from behind her and whipped her head around just in time to see Emma try and hide a smile. She huffed and climbed into the wagon.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you GASeeker on fanfiction, aka DrKnow2U on Tumblr, aka DrKnow on AO3, You Rock! ;)**

 **Chapter3**

The ride to the castle was brutal. Emma found herself missing things like a suspension system and shocks. She wasn't sure if it would have been better to walk the whole distance instead of riding in this thing. Hell, even her trusty yellow bug rode smoother than this.

It had been a little awkward on the ride over, because of the silence, and for the daggers that the gypsy girl had been staring into Regina. The girl seemed to have a grudge, or something, towards the queen.

Emma found it hard to not gawk at the mayor in her Evil Queen outfit. She was hot to say the least, well she was hot in anything she wore, but because the blonde had only got to see this version twice, she was somewhat star struck. She kept sneaking glances at the other woman, but only for a couple of seconds at a time for fear the queen would see her.

As she stole a glance, her eye caught that of Esmeralda's who looked at her curiously, but remained silent. The look the other woman had given her made her feel funny, almost as if she could read the blonde's thought, so she had turned away from the other two women and looked out the window.

Now they were crossing the bridge that led to the castle. Emma looked out the window at the odd architectural design. It kind of made the sheriff uncomfortable, "What's with all of the long sharp things in the Evil Queen's world?"

She looked at Regina, who just rolled her eyes. Emma shrugged and mumbled, "It's like you have penis envy or something."

Esmeralda choked out a laugh, but Regina hadn't been paying attention. Instead the blonde watched the older woman stiffen the closer they came to the castle. It wouldn't do Emma any good to ask her how she was at this time, but she could tell the queen was getting nervous.

The vardo came to a stop at the gates. A man's voice in the distance called, "Who goes there?"

One of the guards that had escorted them, announced, "Her majesty the Evil Queen."

Several loud gasps could be heard, but still the wagon did not budge.

"Show proof." The gate guard shouted.

Before the guard had time to react, Regina had appeared next to the gate guard, "Are you quite finished having her majesty do tricks for you?"

His eyebrows shot up into his hair line, followed by every guard in ear shot falling to their knees. The guard quickly stood and shouted to another guard near the gate level, "Open the gates for her majesty!"

Emma watched from the window. She found that when Regina was fearlessly ordering people around, that it only increased the attraction that the blonde had for her. She let out a quiet chuckle and shook her head. When she raised her eyes she found the gypsy girl looking at her again.

Before Emma could ask the girl what she was so amused with, Regina reappeared beside them. The wagon jerked forward as it started going again.

The ride was short this time. The wagon stopped again, but this time outside the front doors of the castle. The castle may have been designed oddly, but Emma still found it impressive. The blonde climbed from the back of the vardo first. She extended her hand to assist Esmeralda as she exited and she took it. Regina started out the door, but when she saw Emma's hand, she disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke only to reappear a few feet away.

Emma sighed; she obviously did way more damage than she originally thought. She should have kept her mouth shut. Hell, she should have been a better actor so no one would have even known anything was wrong. A lump started to rise in the blonde's throat, but she managed to swallow it.

"Trouble in paradise?" Esmeralda whisper in the blonde's ear, as she made to follow the queen inside.

The sheriff looked up at the dark haired girl's face, "What do you mean?"

The gypsy looked into the blonde's eyes for a second, then smiled and shook her head, "Nothing."

Every guard that they passed knelt down. The one guard that had escorted them led them through the castle. Regina's voice echoed through the massive entrance way, "I want to see General Shaw."

The guard stopped and swallowed, "Your majesty, he is away tending business with the neighboring kingdom."

Emma could have sworn she had seen a darkness flash over the chocolate orbs, "When is he expected back?"

"He should return by tomorrow afternoon, your majesty." The guard said.

Regina looked around the rooms as they walked through each one, as if she were reminiscing, but by the sadness in her eyes, Emma could tell they weren't happy memories.

"I am going to my room, and do not wish to be disturbed." Regina said.

"Your majesty? What would you like for me to do with your traveling companions?" The guard asked nervously.

Regina paused for a second and looked over at the two gypsies, and then let her eyes lingered ever so briefly on the sheriff, "Show them each to a guest room, and make sure you have food sent up to everyone."

The guard nodded and sank into a low bow, "As you wish your majesty."

Regina didn't wait for comments from anyone; she turned and disappeared into a cloud of purple smoke. Emma felt saddened at her departure, but she didn't say anything, the group just followed the guard to their rooms.

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The mayor stood in the center of her bed chamber trying to calm her breathing. This room was far from comforting to her. She had spent a many lonely years behind these four walls.

Regina slowly let her eyes gaze over the items that decorated the chamber. Most of the things were as she had left them, however the musky scent of the General lingered in the air. She shivered in disgust as she imagined the state of the satin sheet that covered the bed.

It was true that the queen had taken many men to her bed along her royal journey, but the one regret she had was Harold Shaw. He had a confidence in him that she found attractive back then, however now, it could only be described as arrogance. That was a quality that only annoyed her now.

Her eyes fell upon the vanity. The same vanity she had spent so many hours sitting in front of. The same vanity where her mother would tell her how her looks were the most important thing she could possess. Thinking of her mother hurt deeply, but not because of her death, but because of the lack of actual love the woman gave her as a child growing up.

Cora Mills only saw her child as an object that could get the miller's daughter what she wanted. Never had there been a time she had just held Regina, or told her she loved her. All of the things that the mayor made sure to do with Henry. She would never let her son feel as she had.

A tear slipped down the queen's cheek as she walked closer to the vanity. She cautiously sat down on the hand carved wooden chair and gazed into the mirror. Of all of the places the blonde could have screwed up and brought them to, it was here. The only time she had been happy in this land was when she was with Daniel, but the rest of her time spent here had been in hatred, sadness, jealousy, and a thirst for vengeance.

She let out a quiet sob, now the blonde had mixed up her emotions just before bringing her here on top of everything else. She loved Robin, and she could feel that he cared for her as well. He was handsome, kind, honorable, and even his son seemed to like her. Now everything was clouded, because now she found herself thinking of the kiss Emma had given her, and how she didn't hate it.

She was so confused and now she was stuck in a land that hated her and she was the one that would have to figure out a way to get them both back home. Letting her head rest against her arms on the vanity, she let her tears fall freely. Her shoulders shook violently as she sobbed.

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Emma stopped at the door the guard had led her to and asked, "Where is Regina's room?"

The man looked at her for a second, but then replied, "Her majesty's chambers are down the west wing."

The blonde gave a tight lipped smile and nodded. Esmeralda's father had been led to a room at the other end of the hallway from hers and Esmeralda's room was only a door away. Emma figured the queen's room would be far from anyone else's, but she didn't like being that far away from her.

The sheriff opened the large wooden door and peered into the room. Even for a guest room, it was pretty impressive. Emma stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

Looking around, the room was still very renaissance themed, right down to the no running water or indoor plumbing. The thought made Emma shudder a little. She was all for authentic, but some things were going to be a little hard parting with.

The blonde walked over to the bed and plopped down. What was she going to say to the queen to get her to talk to her? She surely hated her now. Emma not only kissed her, but she brought her back to this god forsaken place.

"Just for the record, I don't want to be here either." The sheriff said in a low voice.

"Who are you talking to?" Esmeralda's voice asked from across the room.

The blonde jumped, "Shit! How did you get in here?"

The dark haired woman smiled and pointed to a tapestry on the wall, "There is a secret doorway in the wall over there, and it connects to our chambers."

The sheriff stood up and walked over moving the tapestry to the side to see, "Well isn't that nifty?"

"I am not sure what that means." The other woman said looking sideways at the blonde.

Emma looked at her. She had forgotten that some people do not know the slang terms, "Umm I just meant that it is neat."

The confused look remained on the woman's face, "I suppose it is clean."

The sheriff laughed, "No that's not what I mean. I mean that it is very clever to have a secret door." She started to use the word cool, but that would not have the same meaning here either.

The dark haired woman nodded slowly, "People must speak very strange in your world."

Emma laughed, "Yeah well, if you think that is strange, try living in New York."

The smile left the dark haired woman's mouth and she looked at Emma, "I think the queen has tricked us."

"No she hasn't. She just needed some time to herself." Emma said.

Esmeralda narrowed her eyes, "Why are you defending her, it's not like she is very friendly with you?"

The blonde sighed, "Look, I know how she was when she was here long ago, but she is not that person anymore. She is just Regina where I come from and she has spent a lot of time trying to be a better person and mother to our son."

"Your son? You and the queen share a son?" The dark haired woman asked in surprise.

"Well, yeah. I gave birth to Henry and Regina adopted him, where I am from that's not really that uncommon." Emma explained running her hand through her hair.

"Two women sharing a son and being together is not that uncommon where I am from either. I was only surprised that you and the queen had a son together." Esmeralda said.

"We are not together." The blonde said, sadder than she had planned.

The darker haired woman nodded, "But you want to be?"

Emma looked up at the woman, but didn't respond, instead she changed the subject, "I thought you married Phoebus and had a son named Zephyr?"

The dark haired woman's eyes widened, "How do you know that?"

The sheriff leaned against a wall, "Where I am from, people from other worlds are written about."

"Written about? I don't understand." The gypsy said.

"People in my world write fairy tales about people from your world or places such as this world. My parents are Snow White and Prince Charming." The blonde explained.

Esmeralda's gasped, "Snow White is your mother?"

Emma smiled and nodded.

"You do realize the queen has wanted your mother dead for years, don't you?" The other woman asked.

"Oh I am aware, but after the queen came to my world, she is now in a place where she doesn't want to kill her. Regina and my mother are somewhat friends, although Snow White still gets on the queen's nerves."

Before the dark haired woman responded, there was a knock on the door and a few seconds later the door opened. A small framed maid came in carrying a tray filled with fruit, cheese, bread, and other pastries. A pitcher sat to the side of it all.

"My ladies, I was ordered to bring food and wine." The maid said as she sat the tray down on the small table that sat near the window, "Would the two of you like to eat together, or should I carry some of this to the other chamber?"

Emma looked up at Esmeralda then back to the maid with a smile, "It is too much of a hassle to have to carry some to the next room, we will just eat together."

The maid looked worried, "No my lady, it is no trouble at all. If the lady wishes to eat in her room, I shall make it so."

Emma looked the maid in the eye, "What is your name?"

"My name ma'am?" The girl looked confused.

Emma shared a look with the dark haired woman then looked back to the smaller woman, "You do have a name don't you?"

"Yes, of course. My name is Sarah, my lady." She curtsied.

"Hello Sarah. I am Emma and this is Esmeralda." Emma said gesturing towards the dark haired woman.

The maid nodded, but never looked up from the ground.

"Why don't you eat with us? You have brought plenty and we won't be able to eat it all." Esmeralda said.

"I am not allowed to eat with the guests my lady." The maid said.

Emma walked over and closed the door, "Who will know?"

The girl looked as though she might be considering it. She looked at each woman, then at the tray of food and licked her lips, "I don't know. I don't want to get into trouble. I am always in trouble it seems."

Emma thought she might know how the girl felt. She had done nothing her whole like, but get into trouble in way or another. Rather it was by a foster parent, the cops, her parents or the mayor, it seemed she was stuck in trouble.

Esmeralda pushed one of the chairs from under the table with her foot, "Sit."

The maid slowly did as she was told and Emma walked over to join them. Pulling up a chair, she tried not to stare directly at the other two women.

After a short awkward few minutes, the maid began to relax a little. The girl ate like it had been a while since her last meal. Emma remembered what it had been like in a few of the foster homes she grew up in. If she didn't do what she was told or fouled up in any way, she didn't get to eat.

"How long have you worked at the castle, Sarah?" Emma asked.

The girl looked up with a mouth full of food and swallowed, "Since I was thirteen."

"What made you choose to work here?" Emma asked in general conversation.

The girl looked at Emma questionably, "Servants do not get to choose where they serve my lady."

Emma cut her eyes at Esmeralda whose expression seemed neutral. It seemed that maybe this wasn't news to the gypsy, but the blonde was both appalled and intrigued, "So how did you come to be a servant?"

The girl picked up more cheese and popped it into her mouth, "Well I was born to a servant. My mother served here at the castle and I do not know who my father was. I was sent to an orphanage until I was thirteen. On my birthday of that year, my mother was allowed to collect me and brought me here to learn my place. I have been here ever since."

The blonde leaned back in her chair, still eyeing the girl, "How old are you now?"

Sarah wiped her hands off on her apron, "I am twenty one ma'am."

"Is your mother still here at the castle?" Esmeralda asked.

"Yes. She used to work as a maid like me, but now she works in the kitchen." She said shyly.

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Regina paced the stone floor of her room relentlessly for the past hour. She had finished crying and cleaned up her face the best she could. All she could think about was Emma Swan and that stupid kiss. It felt as though it was consuming her.

She sighed loudly in aggravation. The mayor needed to talk to Emma or something to get this to go away. She couldn't even concentrate on where to begin looking for a way home. She was so tired of feeling sorry for herself, and that only left her thoughts to drift to the blonde.

The brunette stormed out of her chambers and started for the other side of the castle where the blonde's room was located. As she walked the long hallway, she realized that coming at the sheriff in anger was not the best approach. She needed to calm down, and actually try and talk to the other woman.

Regina just needed to tell Emma that she was not interested and that she was planning her future with Robin. That was easy enough, she thought. Emma was an adult and would respect her decision. They would both find a way to get back to Storybrooke and everything would go back to how it was before.

Before the queen knew it, she was standing in front of the door that the chamber maid had directed her to. She pushed open the door saying, "Miss Swan we really need to tal…" Her words were cut off by the sight before her.

Emma was sitting at a small table with that gypsy woman and what appeared to be a maid. Emma was laughing at something the other woman had said. She cleared her throat to regain her thoughts, "I apologize, am I interrupting?"

The maid jumped up so quickly that she bumped the table causing what was left of the wine to tumble over and spill, "You majesty, it's not what you think."

Emma stood grabbing the girls forearm, "Sarah, it's okay."

Back in her Evil Queen days, she probably would have had the girl locked away for the rest of her life for sitting with royals, but today, she wasn't affected by her. However, the queen had a sudden issue with the dark haired woman who the blonde had seemed to befriend.

The gypsy's dark hair and green eyes were remarkable even to Regina. When the mayor had first opened the door, she could see how at ease the sheriff seemed to be in the other woman's presence. A lump was forming in the queen's throat and her blood pressure was going up.

Emma told the maid to sit, who slowly complied never letting her eyes leave those of the mayor's. Regina's eyes were on the gypsy and the blonde seemed to notice, because when the brunette let her eyes graze the blonde, she could see the curious look.

Regina put her hand up, "Some other time Miss Swan, I see you are busy."

She didn't wait for a response; instead she turned and walked back out the door.

What was Emma doing with the gypsy? Why didn't Emma come and check on her earlier. It wasn't that she wanted her to, but it was something the blonde would have done anyways.

Regina's heels clicked loudly on the stone as she tried to speed up her step.

"Regina?" Emma's voice called from behind her.

She stopped, but she didn't turn around, "What is it Miss Swan?"

"You were trying to say you wanted to talk when you came in, so let's talk." Emma said.

Regina was afraid to turn around, because she didn't know what her own eyes would give away, but she slowly turned, "Another time Miss Swan, go and visit with your guests."

The mayor could see hurt in the blonde's eyes, but she didn't want the other woman to see the jealousy she had suddenly felt.

"Regina, please talk to me?" Emma said.

The tone of the blonde sounded more like a desperate plea. What could she say now? The confidence she had when she first opened the door was now gone, not to mention that she couldn't explain why she had felt jealous and anger. She felt a tear escape her eye and roll down her cheek. Emma gasped and stepped forward, but it caused the mayor to panic and she disappeared into her famous smoke cloud.

Regina now stood out on her massive balcony looking out into the darkening forest. She wiped the unruly tear away and growled to herself for wearing her emotions on her sleeve. When had she become so… sensitive?

The queen walked over to the railing and placed her palms down squeezing it in frustration. Just minutes ago she had convinced herself that she wanted Robin and whatever kind of life the two of them could have in Storybrooke, but now, now she was confused again. Her emotions were overwhelming her and she couldn't think straight.

It was just a kiss, right? The sheriff had been drunk when she made her confession, and invaded her space, but then her father's words rang in her head, "A drunken man's words are a sober man's thoughts."

She sighed loudly again, but remained where she was gripping the railing. She couldn't eat, she felt exhausted, but couldn't sleep. Hell, she hadn't felt like this since….since Daniel. She gasped at her own thoughts. What the hell is that supposed to mean?

"Nothing. It means nothing, Regina, except that Emma Swan has messed up your emotions." Regina said out loud.

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Emma stood stunned in the hallway. Regina had long disappeared, but the sheriff stared as if she could see some outline of where the queen had once been. Why was Regina crying and why did she have the look she did in her eye when she looked at the gypsy? Above all else, why wouldn't she talk to her?

"It didn't go well, I take it?" Esmeralda's voice said from behind her.

Emma didn't respond, she just kept looking down the hallway. Damn her and her yearning for the queen. This was the blonde's fault and she had done nothing but screw it up.

"She is probably plotting our deaths." The gypsy said.

The sheriff spun on her heels, "Stop saying that. Regina wouldn't kill us."

"I knew it!" The dark haired woman shrieked clapping her hands.

Emma still scowled, "You knew what?"

Esmeralda gave a big smile, "That you are sweet on the queen."

The blonde refused to deny it this time. She wasn't quite ready to shout anything from a rooftop, but she was too tired to keep it hidden from the gypsy, which she had done a poor job of thus far.

"I take it you did something to upset her and now she is not happy with you." The dark haired woman said.

Emma sighed, "Something like that. Only difference is that we were friends first and then I kissed her and told her how I feel and now she doesn't even want to be friends."

Esmeralda took the blonde by the arm and led her back into the room, closing the door, "It can be hard to go back to what was when something like that happens." Emma looked at the other woman, but let her continue, "She may want to, but there might not be any going back."

The blonde sat down at the table. The maid must have excused herself to go back to work while Emma was lost in thought. She let her head lightly bang the table, "I am so stupid. Damn Regina and her apple cider."

"Not all is lost friend." The dark haired woman smirked.

The sheriff narrowed her eyebrows, "What do you mean?"

Esmeralda walked over to the table and pulled a grape from its vine on the platter, the smile still on her lips, "The queen fancies you as well."

"No she doesn't, she made that pretty clear." Emma huffed.

Laughter erupted from the gypsy's throat, "It is true, love is blind. You know I always thought that was just talk about the way a person looks, but apparently it can also mean that you are oblivious. Did you not see how jealous the queen was that you were eating with me? Or perhaps you did not see the tear she cried when she could not find the words or courage to speak to you?"

Emma grabbed the silver chalice she had been drinking from and took a sip. Had Regina cried a tear because she didn't know what to say? She did look pretty bold when she first walked in, but then seemed angry or annoyed with the blonde sitting at the table with the other two women. Out of all of the people her heart wanted, it had to be the most complicated one of all.


	4. Chapter 4

**Readers: Sorry that this chapter took so long I will try and have the next one up in a much shorter amount of time. I hope you enjoy the story.**

 **Chapter4**

Time had gotten away from Emma and the gypsy as they talked about everything under the sun; including Esmeralda's husband and son. They were back at her parent's camp waiting for the dark haired woman and her parents to return. She had convinced her husband to let her join her father in search for her mother. Originally she had come here to simply visit with her parents who had chosen this place to call home. Her folks had never met her young son and she missed them so.

Esmeralda explained how she, her husband and her son had come here for a vacation of sorts, but it quickly turned into more than they had bargained for. Emma shook her head to herself, she had thought only the day before that no one would come to this place for a vacation, but apparently she was wrong.

"I think I should start heading back now, besides, I need to check on Papa." Esmeralda said standing up and stretching.

Emma smiled, "Well, thanks for keeping me company."

The gypsy smiled and nodded as she headed back through the doorway hidden behind the tapestry, and then paused, "You know, don't give up on your queen just yet. See you in the morning." She smiled and then disappeared.

The blonde stood staring at the large piece of wall art that looked more like some kind of bedding, but was beautifully painted. She turned around rubbing the back of her neck with her hand. The gypsy's words were bouncing around in the sheriff's head. The words were just words, because the dark haired woman had not seen the major change in her's and the other woman's relationship. The mayor was very unhappy with Emma, but she would be lying if she were to say that it didn't make her heart flutter at the thought of the queen returning her feelings.

No, she couldn't get her hopes up on that one. Esmeralda didn't see the way Regina reacted when she had kissed her, or how angry she had become, or the pain Emma had caused by bringing them back here.

The sheriff rubbed her eyes, she was tired, but there was no way she would be able to sleep right now. She couldn't redirect her thoughts away from Regina, and this room was a little creepy when you were all alone.

She would just mosey on down to the queen's room and at least check on her. Emma couldn't make the mayor talk to her about what had happened, but she could at least assist with a plan to get home.

Emma opened the door and peered out into the long hallway that seemed to go on forever in both directions. It seemed to be empty and eerily silent. She could hear herself breathe and it didn't put her mind or nerves at ease. She was pretty sure she had seen a movie where the overly curious actor met a very painful death, in a hallway similar to this and no one heard his screams.

"Get a grip Swan." She said out loud as she fought a chill that threatened to run up her spin and make the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

It took her a few moments to get her bearings, after she took a deep breath; she turned west and started for the queen's room. At least she hoped she was headed west. That's how you know a house is too big, when you have to use a compass to get around it, she thought.

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Regina sat staring at the bed. She had a maid come in and put fresh linens on it, but she still couldn't sleep, so instead she sat at the vanity, looking at the large intricately carved four post bed. Her stomach churned at the thought of her old self, and the number of bodies that had joined her in that bed.

The queen could hear a muffled commotion outside the door.

"Get your hands off of me creep. I need to see Regina." The mayor heard Emma's voice through the wooden door.

"Her majesty requested to not be disturbed." A guard's voice stated.

"I suggest you remove your hand or I will make sure you pull back a nub." Emma growled.

Regina rolled her eyes getting up and quickly making her way to the door. The sounds of a struggle and the rustling of material could be heard, which caused the queen to yank the door open.

To her surprise and relief, Emma had the guard's arm pinned behind his back and his face scrunched in pain. Regina had been worried for a second that the guard had over powered the blonde; however that was not the case.

"Miss. Swan, assaulting her majesty's guards is frowned upon." The brunette said with half a smirk.

Emma sneered, "Then tell him to keep his hands off me."

Regina stared at the scene before her for a moment longer than necessary, but then motioned into the doorway, "Do come in."

The blonde released the guard who now rubbed his shoulder relentlessly. She walked passed him, bumping her shoulder into his.

The queen made eye contact with the soldier after the sheriff had walked passed, "That will be all."

He nodded his understanding and walked off. The mayor entered the chamber and closed the door behind her, "Miss. Swan, you do realize it is late."

Emma's back was to her, but she could see she was taking in the room, "You know, its weird being in your room. I don't think I was ever been in your room back in Story Brooke either."

Regina's stomach fluttered for some unknown reason, but she kept her voice steady, "And why would you have been?" It came out harsher than she had planned, but she couldn't help it.

Emma spun around, her eyes wide, "I did not mean it like that, hell I didn't mean for that to come out at all. I just meant that it was weird seeing this side of you." The blonde moved her arm in one giant swipe to gesture towards the whole room, "The Evil queen side."

Regina wanted to respond, but then she saw the green eyes land on the bed, which caused the brunette to swallow.

"Can't sleep either?" Emma asked.

The queen raised an eyebrow, "How can I with you running around assaulting people?" She would just stick with snarky and somewhat rude, it made her feel more in control.

"Regina, you haven't even been in bed yet." She said pointing to the turned down covers that were still perfect.

The mayor was suddenly nervous again. She felt nauseous, probably for the lack of sleep and food. She could not tell the blonde the main reason, even above the fact that she hadn't stopped thinking of the other woman, but because she was afraid. She was afraid of the memories of the old her. The memories of all the people she had others to kill or had killed herself, all the loveless nights with the king, her mother whispering in her ear, or the fact that she had killed her own father in this very castle.

Coming back from her thoughts she realized the blonde was staring at her. The look in her eye made her feel as if some part of the other woman understood.

"Yeah I can't sleep either. This place is a little creepy, and you can hear everything through these walls." Emma said as she stepped closer, "Look, I know you're mad at me, but we have to find a way back home and the only way to do that is to work together."

"I know that." The queen said in a whisper. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers.

There was a light knock on the door.

"Yes?" Regina called.

The door opened and the maid that had been dinning with the sheriff earlier appeared, her eyes cast to the ground as she curtsied, "Your majesty. Paul, your door keep said that you would need to prepare for bed."

Regina's heart went in her stomach. That only meant that the guard thought the queen was taking the blonde to bed. By the look on Emma's face, she had not come to that conclusion.

She didn't know how to respond, so she said the first thing that popped into her head, "I thought you were just a maid, not a hand maiden?"

"I am your majesty, but you have not been here in quite some time, so there are no hand maidens. My mother said that out of all of the servants, you would like me best." The girl seemed to ramble.

"Why did she think I would like you?" The queen asked.

"Because I am younger and faster than the other female help, your majesty." She said still keeping her eyes directed down.

Regina was trying to kill time as well; she just couldn't remember why, "Who is your mother?"

The girl's eyes looked up for a fraction of a second then fell back to the ground, "Georgina, she used to be a maid, but now she is in the kitchen."

The brunette knew the name. Georgina had been her personal hand maiden way back when. She was very beautiful, Regina remembered. Dark skin, her hair was so black that in certain lights it had a blue sheen to it, much like that of a ravens feathers. That same beauty had been in love with General Shaw, and back then Regina loved to hurt other people, so she took him to bed and made the maiden watch on a number of occasions.

At first she had considered letting the maid undress her to a point, only to tease the blonde. The mayor changed her mind after finding out the name of the maid's mother. She wasn't feeling very well.

The queen let out a shaky breath and closed her eyes, "Can we just get this over with."

The girl looked up in surprise, but then quickly walked around the queen to start unlacing the dress. Regina looked shyly over at the blonde, who was trying hard not to watch. The queen wasn't sure why she was so nervous, Emma was still a woman, same as she. They had the same body parts for God's sake.

The only sounds were those of the dressing materials being ruffled and laces being pulled. To break the silence, Regina looked at Emma, "Tomorrow, you will dress in clothing of this world."

The sheriff whipped her head to face the queen, "What's wrong with what I am wearing?"

"Miss. Swan, We need not draw attention to ourselves if we can help it." Regina said feeling the first layer of dress fall to the floor.

Emma kept her eye on the mayor, "Like the Evil queen's return won't turn heads?"

"I am well aware of what reaction my presence will cause dear, but I can use this to my advantage, our advantage." She corrected.

She hadn't been prepared for the bustier to fall right at that moment or she would have been prepared to catch it, but instead it fell to the floor leaving her standing bare chested in front of Emma. The blonde gasped, but quickly turned to face the opposite wall.

Heat flooded the queen's cheeks and even though Emma fought to give the queen her privacy, the fact remained that she had seen. Why was she embarrassed? It wasn't as if she were unaware of her own attractiveness. She had loved getting a reaction out of her lovers when they first saw her body. However, this was Emma, not a lover. She seemed to have some sort of power over the queen's mind when it came to normal thought.

After the queen stood completely naked, the maid slipped a long satin gown over her. The cool fabric falling down over her body felt nice on her skin, except the slight hardening of her nipples, which would be a little difficult to hide, but luckily the maid then helped the mayor into a matching satin robe, which was fastened tightly around her waist.

"Is there anything else her majesty desires?" The maid asked.

Had this been at any other moment before yesterday, she may not have thought twice at that statement. However tonight, it made her blush.

Regina cleared her throat, "No that will be all."

"What about Lady Emma?" The maid asked.

Emma called out over her shoulder, "Not tonight, thanks, spent a lifetime dressing myself."

Regina rolled her eyes again, "Good night…" Regina was at a loss, she wasn't sure what to call the girl.

"Sarah." Emma said, her back still turned.

"Good night Sarah." Regina said with a smile.

The girl curtsied and then scurried out of the room. Regina watched her leave and her thoughts momentarily went back to the girl's mother. The woman probably hated her and she had every right.

After a while she realized the blonde was still facing the wall, "It is safe to turn around now, Miss. Swan."

Emma cautiously turned, "Just wanted to make sure." Her cheeks were now a nice red shade as she asked, "Why didn't you just use magic to change?"

Regina swallowed, and came up with the best explanation she could, even if it were a lie,"Well, the girl needed training on how a hand maiden undresses her mistress."

Emma choked at the words, "She would call you mistress?"

Regina's eyes widened when she realized what Emma had related the title with, "Miss. Swan, please get your mind out of the gutter. Here, servants call their superior's master or mistress, it is not necessarily a sexual thing."

"You tell me to get my mind out of the gutter and then you say, 'It is not necessarily a sexual thing?' What does that mean?" Emma said confused.

This only caused the queen to sigh, "Sometimes the mistress or master may bed their servant."

The sheriff narrowed her eye brows, "Did you?"

Regina was taken back by the question. Even the look on the blonde's face made her uncomfortable, "That is none of your concern."

Emma kept the look, but didn't say anything else. It made the mayor even more uncomfortable. She felt as though she were the suspect on one of those law and order type of shows.

"Emma, you said you wanted to talk." Regina cursed herself for slipping up with the first name. Using it made her feel vulnerable, and weak.

The blonde walked over to the bed and plopped down. She then let her body fall back leaving her to stare up at the ceiling, "I know I keep saying that I am sorry, but the truth is I am only sorry for hurting you. I am not sorry for kissing you or for my feelings. I just wish I was better at hiding them. Oh yeah, and I am truly sorry for bringing us here."

Exhaustion was taking its toll on Regina. She walked over to the bed and sat down next to where the blonde lay, "You know I am with Robin, right?" She looked straight ahead.

The blonde let out a huff of air, "Yeah, I know. I also know that he and Henry are hitting off."

Regina slowly lay back onto the bed, her shoulder brushing the sheriff's, but both of them continued to look up at the ceiling, "Yeah they are."

There was an awkward silent before the blonde spoke, "I should have kept my mouth shut, and my lips to myself."

Regina wanted to tell her that it was okay. She wanted to tell her that she actually liked the kiss, but she couldn't. Robin was waiting for her back in Story Brooke, "Miss. Swan, I think we should just forget…"

Low snoring was coming from the blonde beside her. She smiled at how peaceful the other woman looked. Gently she reached up and moved a lock of blonde hair away from the sheriff's face. They had to hurry up and get back to Story Brooke, before the new feelings inside her grew too much more.

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Emma's eyes flew open to the sound of the drapes hooks raking annoyingly loud as they were yanked open. The morning sunlight flooded the room causing the blonde to squint her eyes.

"Good morning my lady." Sarah's voice rang high and chipper.

The sheriff suddenly remembered where she was and in whose bed she was in. Regina was no longer beside her and she was now positioned correctly, with her head on the pillows. Emma didn't remember changing her clothes, or taking her boots off, but she noticed she was now wearing a gown.

"Where is Regina?" Emma asked.

"I am here, Miss. Swan." The queen's voice called from behind a screen that had been placed close to the center of the room.

"Her majesty is having her morning bath." Sarah informed her as she pulled the covers back to assist the older woman.

The blonde followed the maid's lead and slipped from the warm bed. Her cheek reddened when she heard water splash from behind the curtain. She cleared her throat more to distract her mind, "So, umm, what is the plan for today?"

More water splashed, "First I will speak with the dungeon jailer for news of your friend's mother, and then we will have breakfast."

The way the mayor said the sentence let the blonde know she didn't like the dark haired, green eyed woman, but couldn't quite put her finger on why, "Okay, and then what?"

Sarah had walked around the sheriff and started lifting the night gown over her head. Her first instinct was to fight the girl off, but then she remembered what the girl's actual intentions were and let her. She had never had someone dress her, or undress her before, well not in this type of situation anyways.

"After that we will be waiting for General Shaw to return. I was told he would be back this afternoon." Regina called.

Emma watched as Sarah retrieved clothing and laid it out on the bed. It was a white linen shirt, with laces on the chest and what looked like black leather pants, boots that matched and looked as though they would come up to the knee were sitting on the floor.

The sheriff looked at Sarah, "I thought I would have to wear a dress or something."

"Woman wear pants here too Miss. Swan." Regina said.

Emma was relieved, "Oh thank God." She said not really meaning to say it out loud.

The blonde could hear the mayor chuckle and it made her stomach flutter again. Regina was still behind the screen, but Emma was standing naked this time waiting for the maid to dress her. After a few seconds she took the shirt the girl was trying to loosen the laces on, "I really can dress myself."

The maid released the shirt, but then picked up the pants. Emma's skin was covered in goosebumps. A large fire was roaring in the fire place, but somehow the room was still drafty and a bit cold. The blonde quickly pulled the linen shirt over her head. The shirt helped with the chill, but only slightly, because the blonde was not wearing a bra, the thin linen did little to warm her chest.

The pants were a little tricky to get on because they were very tight. In actuality, once they were on, they fit similar to her jeans, the fact that they were leather made them feel tighter. And the way they laced instead of buttoned or zipped was a little awkward.

Sarah made the sheriff sit on the edge of the bed as she started assisting her with her boots. The blonde's thoughts were on the General, "So what's the story with you and this General Shaw?"

Emma could hear that the queen had stood by the sound the water made as it cascaded off her body. The blonde felt her mouth go dry and she tried to lick her lips hoping it would offer some sort of relief.

Regina appeared from around the screen, this time she was fully clothed and looking her Evil queen self, "There is no story."

Emma looked at her suspiciously, "You're lying." The blonde could sense it.

The maid seemed shocked that the sheriff had said that to the queen. She would have assumed in this land that you could probably get put to death for such things.

The queen sighed, "I do not wish to talk about it."

Emma tilted her head, "You slept with him, didn't you?"

Regina seemed to grow more annoyed, "Miss. Swan it was a long time ago and I was a different person."

"I knew it!" She said as if she had discovered some deep dark secret, and was now awaiting her reward.

To Emma's disappointment, Regina frowned and said, "I'm going to meet with the jailer. I will see you at breakfast."

Before Emma could say anything or ask what was wrong, the queen was gone in a puff of purple smoke. The blonde chewed on her lower lip, how was it possible that she kept upsetting the queen? Maybe she was causing more of a problem then she realized. She rubbed her face in frustration, maybe when they got back to Story Brooke it was time she went on her way.

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Regina descended the long and dark dungeon stairs one by one. They were very narrow and it was a long way down if you were to fall and because there was no railing she could imagine that there might have been a lot of people who had.

Her thoughts were on Emma. She wanted the blonde to understand that she was not proud of the choices she made back then, she was ashamed in fact. She wanted her to know that if she could do it over she would not have done the same things.

The queen held a torch in her hand which lit her way down the long swirling staircase. She couldn't just tell the blonde how she felt, even if they were friends or whatever; she could never show anyone this weak side of her.

The pungent aroma of urine, feces, mold and death suddenly filled Regina nostrils. She almost gagged. Her stomach rolled, threatening to empty the contents. She quickly regained her composure and continued the last few steps before she had arrived at the dungeon.

Even with a torch it was difficult to see. There were moans, grunts and in some cases low whispering from everywhere. As she turned to follow a stone path in the elaborate maze, she almost bumped into the jailer. He was sitting on a stool, leaned back against the wall asleep.

Regina rolled her eyes. Was every one here useless? "Wake up!" The queen snapped.

The guard jumped, falling out of the chair and onto the floor. He quickly got to his feet drawing his sword and pointing it at the mayor with sleep still in his eyes.

"I suggest you sheath your sword unless you wish to be impaled with it." Regina growled.

His eyes grew large, "Your majesty! I didn't realize it was you." He fell to his knees and lowered his head.

"Yes, yes. I don't have time for this, get up." Regina demanded.

He rose to his feet, and the mayor wasted no time, "I am looking for an old gypsy woman who may have been brought here a few days ago."

The young guard rubbed his head in thought, "I don't recall an old woman coming in here for quite some time your majesty." Regina let out a loud sigh but the boy continued, "You could check with Captain Drake, all prisoners have to go through him first before they ever come here."

Regina slowly nodded her understanding, "Where do I find him?"

"He accompanied General Shaw your Majesty, He should return sometime today." He said.

Regina was trying to fight the urge to vomit from the smell, and it was causing her eyes to water. She looked further down the hall at all of the cells, "How many prisoners are down here?"

The young guard turned to a leather bond journal that hung from the wall and opened it, "Ummm, there are thirty three, your majesty."

Regina grabbed the journal from him and pulled it off of the wall. She slowly looked through the names. Beside the names, were the prisoners' ages, sex and offenses. One was a sixty year old man who had been arrested for falling in the road causing the royal carriage to stop. She clenched her jaw as she continued to read.

A twenty four year old woman had been arrested for refusing one of the royal guards hand in marriage, "Are you kidding me?" She said out loud.

Every offense listed in the journal was preposterous and Regina would not have it, "I want them all release and fully pardoned for their crimes."

The young guard looked up, "But your majesty, General Shaw gave me specific orders that I was only to watch the prisoners until his return."

Regina narrowed her eyes as she flicked her wrist magically grabbing the young guard by the throat, "I will repeat this only once, Release all of the prisoners."

The guard tried to nod and say yes, but the grip the queen's magic had around his neck made it hard to breathe let alone talk. She released him making sure he fell with enough force to fall to his knees.

"As you wish your Majesty." He choked out as he slowly climbed to his feet."

Regina was angry. She was angry with who she used to be. She was angry with Shaw trying to be her, she was just angry. How could she have let herself get that heartless and cruel? Tears were welling up in her eyes, and instead of letting the young guard see, she vanished into her infamous cloud of smoke.

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The morning seemed to drag on slowly. Emma had gone back to her room in hopes of seeing Esmeralda, but the other woman was nowhere to be found. So instead, she decided to explore some of the castle.

As Emma found the library, or at least that is what it looked like, she walked in looking around in amazement. The room was huge, to say the least and book shelves lined the walls and went from floor to ceiling. They had to be an easy twenty feet high, and long wooden ladders that were attached to a wheel and rail system was used to reach anywhere you wanted.

She walked passed the books and let her finger gently slide over the spines. Emma was never really the kid who loved school. She hated it really, but not because of the educational aspect, but for the other kids who liked to pick on her for her hand me down clothes and off brand shoes, and for the teachers who like to humiliate her in front of the class for no knowing the correct answer. In fact, the sheriff secretly loved books, maybe not as much as Belle, but she had her interest in them.

"It is pretty amazing, don't you think?" Esmeralda's voice echoed from behind her.

Emma casually glanced over her should, then looked back to the books, "Yeah, it is."

She could hear the gypsy's feet on the stone floor as she came closer, "So, I went to your room this morning and you were not in your bed."

Emma swallowed but didn't look back, "Umm yeah, I kind of passed out in Regina's room."

The gypsy walked around the blonde and looked at her face giving a smile, "Ah, I see."

"No not like that." The sheriff said putting her hands up, "We talked a little, but I passed out while we were talking. When I woke Regina was already up." The sheriff blushed remembering the queen's bare breast, but then she shook her head and tried to change the subject, "She has gone to talk to the jailer and see if she can find your mother."

The dark haired woman stared at her for a moment reading the blondes face and then smiling she said, "Well that's excellent news."

The woman attempted to keep her voice calm, "I know that you have feelings for this woman, but I do not see how you trust her so blindly. I have seen the things she is capable of."

Emma looked hard into the other woman's eyes, wanting her to not only hear her words but feel them, "I know some of what she is capable of, I've seen it and I have heard many horrible stories, but I am telling you, the woman you see today is no longer the woman from then."

Esmeralda stared back for a moment, but then let her eyes look away, "I hope you are right. The people in this land, especially the gypsies will not be that easy to convince."

Without thinking the sentence through she said in a low voice, "Hopefully we will be back in our land soon and not have to worry about that."

The other woman's face dropped and her eyes saddened, "You can't leave this place as it is."

At first Emma wasn't sure what the dark haired woman was referring to, but then she started to catch on as the other woman continued, "The queen cannot leave General Shaw in charge, he is as bad as she was if not worse."

"What are you two doing in here?" Sarah's voice echoed through the room even though she was whispering.

Emma turned to look at her, "We were bored and decided to explore the castle."

Sarah had a serious look on her face, "General Shaw doesn't like people to wonder the castle un-escorted, and there are many guards here who are loyal to him."

The blonde thought that was very suspicious of Shaw. She already didn't like him because he seemed to rule similar to how the queen had, but also because she was pretty sure he had slept with Regina. She wouldn't lie to herself, she knew it was jealousy.

"But the queen is back, so the guards are now under her orders." Esmeralda said.

The girl looked nervous as she continued to whisper, "Some of these guards will choose the General over the queen if it came down to it, so you cannot trust them, and you should let the queen know this as well."

Suddenly voices were coming closer from outside the door further down the hallway. Sarah's eyes widened in fear as she motioned for the other two women to come and hide with her near the entrance, and they complied.

Emma was straining to listen to the voices as her heart beat was drumming in her ears. It sounded like two men talking and by the way metal jingled as they walked she was pretty sure they were guards.

"Did you hear what that bitch did?" One guard asked.

"I don't ever hear anything where my post is, so what did she do?" The other asked.

"She made Samuel release and pardon all of the prisoners from the dungeon." The first man replied.

"What, you don't say. The General will not be happy about this. I wouldn't be surprised if he has her executed when he returns." The second man said as they passed the door.

Emma clenched her jaw. There was no way in hell she would allow anyone to hurt Regina. She wanted to run out in the hallway and kick those two idiots' asses.

"Yeah, last night Paul said the blonde one attached him and the queen did nothing. She allowed the woman to enter her room and she did not leave until this morning sometime." The first guard continued.

The second guard laughed, "Paul is such a puss, he got his ass kicked by a girl. I am not surprised about the queen taking the blonde to bed. I would bed her myself and I know the whore has bedded half of the army."

Emma lunged forward only to be grabbed by surprisingly strong arms. When she turned her head she saw it was Esmeralda. The blonde's was so mad, she was literally seeing stars. All she could imagine was knocking the sorry ass smirks off the guard's faces. Even though she couldn't see them, she could tell by their tone, they were smirking.

After a few minutes the soldier's voices had faded out, indicating that they were gone. Esmeralda released the blonde with a glare, "Are you trying to get us killed?"

Emma anger remained, "Who the hell do they think they are? I will kick the shit out of them for talking about Regina like that."

The darker haired woman wiped her hand across her own face, and gave a tight lipped smile, "You have to control yourself. I understand your feelings for the queen, but that is not the worst thing people around these parts say about her. I don't trust the queen, but you do, so I am going to give her the benefit of the doubt and we will tell her what Sarah has said about Shaw and see what happens next."

Sarah seemed shy to interrupt, but did anyways, "Breakfast is ready in the dining room my Ladies."

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Regina sat at the large table along with the old gypsy man. Emma and the dark haired woman seemed to have disappeared, together. The mayor was not amused with that idea at all. What could they possibly be doing?

Before she could think too long on it, the maid walked into room, followed by the other two women. At first she somewhat thought they would enter the room looking suspicious or smiling at one another, because the queen's thoughts allowed her to think the worst of what the two might have been doing, but instead the gypsy woman's expression was focused and Emma's was one of, anger, hate, she wasn't sure. The only time she had seen that look was when the blonde had thrown the guy up against the wall when they were looking for Lily and then when she was going to shoot Lily.

Regina kept her eyes on the blonde hoping she would make eye contact with her, but she didn't. She found herself overly concerned with Emma's current state.

Esmeralda was led to a chair on one side of the table by Sarah and then she led Emma to one on the opposite side. The table was filled with different foods, such as meats, eggs, and fruit.

The blonde didn't even make eye contact with the dark haired woman. An old man carrying wine went around pouring the liquid into each person's chalice, as he came to Emma, she watched as the woman attempted a smile and thanked him.

Regina picked up her fork and started to take a bit when a guard who had entered the room only a few minutes before the other three women said, "Hey you wench." He was talking to Sarah who stood up against the wall waiting for her next order, "Taste your queen's food to ensure no one has tried to poison her."

Regina had forgotten how things had been before and the threat other posed on her. She watched as the girl slowly and fearful approached her, the mayor could tell that the girl would do it, but before she had a chance to reach for the plate Emma spoke up.

"No, you taste the food." She said glaring at the guard.

Regina looked to the guard who was glaring back at the blonde. He snapped, "It is not my job to taste the queen's food."

"It is not Sarah's job either," She growled.

The guard stepped forward, "You do not speak to the queen's soldiers in that tone wench."

Emma rose from her place at the table and Regina could see and feel the magic in the blonde's fingertips. She wasn't sure what was going on, but this was serious.

"Emma." The dark haired woman said in a warning tone, which made Regina want to scream. She had no reason to speak with the sheriff as if they were besties.

"Enough!" The queen said in a stern voice.

"Miss. Swan, you need to calm down, and as for you", the mayor said towards the guard, "How dare you speak to my guest that way." She let her eyes fall between Emma and the guard who were both staring hard at one another. Emma ignored the queen,

"Why don't we both taste the queen's food? We can see which of us is more loyal?" The blonde said.

"Emma." The dark haired woman warned a bit louder causing Regina to glare at her.

Why did this woman insist on speaking to the blonde as if she knew her the same way the mayor did. She had known her for a day, Regina had knew her for several years and only she had the right to speak to her like that. Not to mention she was not about to let Emma Swan test her food for poison.

"I am a guard of her royal majesty's army; I took an oath to protect the queen." He said puffing out his chest and holding his head up.

Emma raised an eye brow, "Then prove it."

The man looked from the blonde to the queen who was still unaware of what had caused this situation to even arise. The queen did not know what this man had done to Emma, but there had to be a good reason as to why the younger woman was reacting this way, so the queen watched.

The guard stepped slowly towards the queen. She could see that the blonde's eye had never left him. He then looked to Emma again before he took the plate from in front of the mayor. He bent his head down and first smelled the food. After a second, he took a fork that was lying on the table and stuck it into a piece of egg. He let his eyes fall on Emma and then he took a bite carefully chewing.

Regina could tell that the guard was nervous, by the sweat that was beading up around his nose through his helmet. After his bite of the egg, he then bit into a piece of the meat, followed by a piece of fruit. The guard placed the plate back down in front of Regina and then walked back to his place by the wall.

For a moment, the mayor thought that the situation was over, but Emma was still standing. She continued to glare at the guard. He gave a smirk, and Emma rolled her eyes and then looked at the brunette, "I'm not really hungry. I think I need some fresh air."

Regina was dumbfounded. She desperately wanted to know what was going on and why the sheriff was so upset, but she didn't want to cause a further scene. She watched As Emma gave a questionable look to the dark haired gypsy and then locked eye with the queen for a brief moment before exiting the room.

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Emma knew the scene in the dining room would leave Regina with questions. Questions that she would want answered. All Emma wanted to do was stomp the two guards that had said what they did about the mayor. When she had gone to the dining room, the only reason she knew the soldier there was one of the men who had been in the hallway was because of his voice. She had to smile a little to herself that the guard had wanted to prove her wrong about his loyalty to the queen so much that he had tasted her food, only downside was Emma had hoped it had been poisoned so she could see the look on the traitor's face.

The blonde was standing in the center of her room clenching her fist. The words they had spoken kept repeating in her mind and she could not control the anger that was welling up inside of her. She wanted to scream out and curse, but what good would that do?

A knock came from her door and she called out, "Yeah?"

Sarah entered the room carrying a tray with food, "I brought you some food, since you did not eat your breakfast."

Emma curled her lips in an attempt to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes, "Thanks, but I'm really not hungry."

Sarah made her way to the small table and sat the tray down, "Her majesty thinks differently."

Emma gently rubbed her forehead, but didn't say anything. She did like that Regina was worried enough to have food sent to her room. Why did this woman affect her so much? Well, to a degree, she knew the answer to that.

"Miss. Swan, I would like a word with you." Regina's voice said from the doorway.

Emma turned to look at her. She felt as though she were about to get scolded, "Sure."

Sarah curtsied to the queen and then hurried from the room, closing the door behind her.

Emma could see the concern on the mayor's face, "What was all of that about?" Regina crossed her arms over her chest waiting for an answer.

"Before I tell you that, I need you to be aware that there are several of the guards here that are not loyal to you, but to Shaw. Some of them are not happy you released all of the prisoners today, and they are convinced that Shaw will have you killed for doing so."

Regina swallowed and raised an eyebrow, "I am not a moron, Miss. Swan, I have eyes and ears. I know that these men cannot be fully trusted and until Shaw gets back, I will not know the whole situation." She tilted her head at the blonde, "There is more to why you were so angry with the guard."

Emma chewed her lower lip, "I overheard him and another one talking."

Regina crossed her arms over her chest, "And?"

The blonde didn't want to say. She didn't want the other woman to know the things people said about her. The sheriff really didn't want the queen to know how much she meant to Emma, it would only push her further away.

Emma ran her fingers through her hair, "They were just running their mouths and it pissed me off, okay?"

"Did they say something to you, or threaten you?" Regina asked with a glare.

Emma could tell that the queen was getting angry at that thought, she said, "No."

Regina looked confused, and stepped closer to the blonde, "Emma, tell me what happened."

"They're not all loyal to you." The sheriff blurted out.

"What?" The queen asked.

Emma took another step forward; she was only a couple of feet way from Regina, "The guards. Some of them are loyal to Shaw, not you. One said that Shaw may have you killed when he returns for letting the prisoners go."

Regina tilted her head, "The loyalty of the guards is not surprising. They have been under Shaw for quite some time, it is to be expected, and as for Shaw killing me, you let me worry about that." The mayor took another step forward with a look of suspicion, "What are you not saying? I know you, Emma, and there has to be something else that would upset you that much."

The blonde clenched her jaw glancing down to avoid eye contact, "Just stuff, okay, it's no big deal."

"No big deal? I would beg to differ after the scene in the dining room. Just spit it out Emma." Regina said.

The tone of the queen was irritated, but the look in her eye and the way she said the blonde's name was something entirely different, "They were disrespecting you, okay." Emma's cheeks were burning from her embarrassment of her behavior earlier, "They pissed me off because they called you a whore. The one said you were sleeping with half of the men in your army."

Regina looked surprised, "You got upset because they called me a whore?"

Emma swallowed, "Well, yeah." She didn't know what else to say in that moment, plus she was still a bit upset about it.

Regina smiled and then shook her head slowly, "How do you know I'm not? You didn't know me back then, Emma."

The blonde was not expecting that answer. She looked into the brown eyes for a second then stepped forward without thinking, "I don't care who you were or how you used to be, they have no right to talk about you like."

Emma wasn't sure what fully happened next. As soon as the words left her mouth she realized how close to the other woman she was. She could feel Regina's breathe on her own lips, and then it happened. They kissed. When their lips parted, the two stood looking at each other for what felt like forever.

"I told you couldn't trust the qu…" Esmeralda pushed passed the tapestry as she spoke, but as her eyes landed on the two women, her words died.

Regina took a couple of steps and looked from the dark haired woman to the blonde. Emma could tell she was not happy to see the gypsy, "I will leave you to your guest." She turned and headed for the door.

"Regina, wait." Emma called but the mayor did her usual disappearing act and was gone.

The sheriff let out a loud sigh. Regina had leaned in and kissed her. She couldn't believe it, but why? This only left her more confused.

"Well, looks like that went well." The dark haired woman rolled her eyes.

Emma shot her eyes at the woman, "It was."

The gypsy smiled, "Sorry about that."

"Yeah, sure you are." Emma deadpanned.

Esmeralda's face sobered, "No I really am sorry for interrupting, but she hasn't told me anything about my mother."

The sheriff narrowed her eyes, "You heard the guards say she released the all of the prisoners. If your mother were among them, then she would have said something."

The dark haired woman put her hands up in the air to signify surrender, "Okay. Your right. But Shaw has to have my mother somewhere. We should be looking for her. As for you and your queen, I don't think you two should stay here."

"I agree." Sarah's voice said from the doorway.

Both women looked up. The worry on the young maids face was cause for concern.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked.

"The guard that tasted the queen's food is dead." She said with wide eyes.

Emma stepped closer to the girl, "What?"

"The guards are accusing my mother, and if they find her they will kill her." The maid said.

"Did she do it?" The dark haired woman asked.

"No, of course not. My mother would never do something like that. Shaw will not be angry that someone tried to kill the queen, but that one of his men got killed for her. To him, it is the same as the queen killing him herself. We must leave."

"I need to talk to Regina first." Emma's eyes grew wide as she realized something, "Oh my God! Did Regina eat any of the food?"

Esmeralda shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know, I didn't watch."

Sarah agreed, "I didn't see her either."

Without warning Emma sprinted from the room. Her mind was on Regina and how she was praying to whoever was listening that the queen did not eat her breakfast. Her mind kept playing the image of the brunette lying dead in her room.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chater5**

What the hell had she been thinking for her to kissed the blonde? She would like to blame it on the other woman, but she remembers distinctly, leaning in and kissing her. Now she was more confused than ever.

Banging from her chamber door startled her from her thoughts.

"Regina!" Emma voices yelled through the wood.

Before the brunette had time to react or calm her fast beating heart, the door flew opened. Emma rushed in. Her face looked pale and something had seemed to frighten her.

"Regina, thank the Gods. The guard that tasted the food is dead, we have to go now." She said closing the distance between them.

The mayor's head had already been spinning out of control and this sudden outburst was not helping, "What are you talking about?"

Emma reached forward and grabbed the brunette's arm, "We need to go. Sarah said that because the guard is dead, Shaw will blame you."

"I can't leave yet. I have to see Shaw." Regina said.

The blonde looked at the mayor in disbelief, "Did you hear what I said?"

Regina gently touched the hand that was fastened to her arm, "I heard you, and I think that you and the gypsy should go."

"I'm not leaving here without you." Emma snapped.

"Emma, you have to. I need to see Shaw and his Captain if we ever plan to find your friend's mother." Regina let her eyes trace the sheriff's features, "I will leave soon after and meet you by the stream."

Emma narrowed her eye brows, "It's not safe for you to stay, and especially by yourself. Please don't do this. If he hurts you, I won't be able to get to you."

Regina's breath caught at Emma's admission, and the side of her mouth curled up slightly, "Emma, you have to trust me. I need to be here when Shaw returns. Take your friends and go, I will catch up with you."

The blonde stared at her for a moment, but then slowly turned and walked away. She stopped one last time before exiting the room, "Please be careful." She didn't turn around or wait for a response, she just walked out.

Regina let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She was not used to someone caring that much about her. Never had she had someone care that much for her in this castle. Of course her father cared for her, but it was in a completely different way.

It was simple, the queen would find out all of the information she could and then she would meet the others like she said. Who knows, she may be able to win Shaw over like she had done in the past.

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Emma returned to her room. She was relieved that the queen had not eaten her breakfast, but she was frustrated and worried about her staying here alone. Why did she always have to do things alone?

"Because you always screw things up Swan." She said out loud.

"What?" Emma looked up to see Esmeralda and Sarah.

"Oh nothing. Regina is choosing to stay here and wait for Shaw. She said she needed to see his Captain to find out more about your mother." The blonde sighed.

The maid looked confused, "She didn't want to leave when she heard her life was in danger?"

Emma shook her head, "No. She said that we should go and she would meet us later by the stream where we came through our portal at."

Suspicion flashed across the gypsy's face, but she said, "Fine, then we need to gather some supplies and go."

The blonde nodded as if she were in a daze. She hadn't caught the look from the maid.

"I know how much the queen means to you." Emma's eyes looked up into those of the maids, "I will stay with her and we will join you later as the queen suggested, then that way she will not be alone." Sarah said with a small smile.

"What about your mother? You said you were afraid for her." Emma said.

The girl nodded, "I am. She will join you and Esmeralda. I will go to her now, and we can prepare food for your journey. My mother is not feeling well today so she will need assistance."

The darker haired woman stood with her arms crossed, "How will we be able to get her to safety if we must sneak out?"

"You will be able to take your wagon and horses. The guards will let you and and your father leave, it is Emma and my mother who will draw suspicion, you will need to hide them in the back until you are clear of the castle." Sarah explained. She turned to Emma, "Meet me in the kitchen in an hour with whatever supplies you can find. The guards will be sparse today; they are all outside on the grounds waiting for Shaw. There is a passageway that leads to the stables. There is a stable boy named Tom, he will have the wagon ready."

The maid waited for both women to nod their heads in understanding and then hurried out of the room. Emma felt sick to her stomach; it seemed nothing would ever be easy for her. She shook her head and went for the wardrobe, "Go get your father ready and try and find warm things, it seems to be getting colder by the minute."

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The town had been pretty quiet for a weekend. Most weekends, including this one, all of the deputies were on call, but no one went to the station until Monday, unless an emergency.

David had just pulled up at the station. Emma didn't come home last night, so he figured she had fallen asleep here again. He couldn't think of a way to talk to his daughter about the way she had been acting. Clearly she was avoiding Hook. David just wished she would talk to him. Her car wasn't outside the station, but here lately that didn't mean anything, she could have it parked down by the docks or anywhere.

He turned the corner and opened the glass door. Emma was nowhere in sight. He saw the two glasses on the desk and the bottle of apple cider. He picked up one glass and sniffed it. It didn't smell as strong as he had imagined, but the alcohol was present.

David glanced around the room and could see that a Styrofoam container had been thrown in the trash. He popped it open and saw the remainder of a grilled cheese and smiled. It looked like the mayor was able to get his stubborn daughter to eat, maybe she had even found out was wrong with her.

He turned to walk out the door, but then saw the blonde's cell phone on the edge of the desk. The prince picked it up and pushed the button on the side, but nothing happened. It was dead. That was weird, he thought to himself. Emma never went anywhere without her phone.

David's eyes caught a strap hanging from the chair in front of the blonde's desk. He walked around it and noticed it was Regina's purse. What the hell was going on?

"Emma!" He shouted through the station. Maybe she and the older woman were still there somewhere.

No one answered, and after checking every room, he was confident they were not here. He slid Emma's phone into his shirt pocket and headed for the door. Perhaps the two women had too much to drink and both went back to Regina's.

As soon as he was seated in the cruiser, he attached the charger to the end of his daughter's cell. Maybe if he charged it up he would be able see if she got any calls that could have called her away in a hurry. He turned the car towards the mayor's mansion. His daughter was somewhere; he just needed to ensure that she was all right. What kind of father would he be if he didn't, not to mention his wife would have his head on a stick?

Pulling up in front of the mayor's house, he noticed the Mercedes was parked in the drive. See, maybe they just came here from some girl chat and a sleep over. Yeah that sounded strange even to him. Emma wasn't really the girly type and Regina was not the sleep over type.

He walked up the door and knocked. After a few seconds and no answer, he banged louder. Still there was no answer. He stepped off the porch and headed for the back door, trying to look through the window's as he went.

Coming around to the back door, he banged even harder. Still nothing. He half expected a very furious mayor to answer the door and yell at him for disturbing her, but it never happened. He reached down to jiggle the nob and realized it had been left open.

David opened the door and stuck his head in, "Hello? Regina? Emma?"

Not getting an answer he walked in. The house was silent, only the sound of a ticking clock from the mantel could be heard. He searched every room and there was no evidence that anyone had been there in days or with in the last couple of hours. Regina kept the house so clean and tidy that he couldn't tell.

The prince walked back outside and closed the door. He scratched his chin, where could they be? He was starting to get worried now. Where else could he look? David knew Robin had taken the boys out camping this weekend, and that is the last place Regina would want to be, out roughing it.

He climbed back into the cruiser. He picked up Emma's phone and pressed the power button until the phone powered up. He could see that the last calls she had gotten were from a couple of days ago and all four of them went unanswered. They were from Regina, but she didn't leave a voice mail that he could tell. Then there were a lot from Killian, and David knew she ignored his calls. When he got to the text messages he could see that there were several from Regina. It was nothing out of the norm, well then again that depended on how you looked at it. Regina was acting concerned about his daughter's feeling, so he wasn't sure you could call that normal.

David tossed the phone into the passenger seat and headed for the diner. He could use some coffee and maybe he could get some more information on the altercation between Emma and Hook. Someone had to have seen or heard something.

He climbed out of the car from across the street from the diner. The prince tugged up on his collar to block some of the bitter cold wind that was whipping past his ears and neck. The weather was getting colder and the forecast had already called for a chance of snow sometime this weekend.

He pulled the door to the diner open and stepped inside. A shiver went up his back as the warm and toasty diner began to thaw him out. This town was making him soft. He remembered a time he could sleep in the snow without blinking an eyelash, but now he found himself thanking who ever in this world created electric heat.

"Hey David." Ruby called from the counter with a smile.

David smiled back, "Can I get a cup of coffee please?"

"Sure." The waitress said.

The diner was mostly vacant. There was Leroy, but no other customers. He was a little surprised Leroy had managed to stay out of jail. He normally had to stay his weekends in a cell because he would drink too much.

Granny was placing a crate of rolled silverware on the counter, "Morning Sheriff."

David nodded his head in her direction and gave a smile. When Ruby came back with his coffee he asked, "Have either of you seen Emma at all?"

Ruby looked to granny then back to him, "Emma came in here Friday morning, but she hasn't been back since." She tilted her head in concern, "Is everything all right?"

"I'm sure everything is fine." He smiled, "It's just Emma didn't come home last night and when I went to the station, she wasn't there either."

Granny picked up a dish towel and wiped her hands, "Friday evening Regina came and placed an order for her and Emma. She said she was taking to her at the station."

David nodded, "Yeah, I passed her when she was coming in yesterday evening. The funny thing is, she is missing too."

Granny's eyes shot towards Ruby, "You need to tell him what you know."

"Granny, I don't know anything for sure. It's not like Emma and I are besties." Ruby said.

"Just tell him your suspicions girl." Granny snapped.

"Okay, Friday morning Emma came in for coffee. Regina was having breakfast with Robin and the boys and when Emma went to leave she followed her. I snuck out the back to spy on them. Regina was trying to talk to her when Hook came up. He started telling Emma that she needed to go home and sleep, and he was yelling at Regina about having the sheriff work so much when he grabbed her by the arm to force her to go with him. Emma pushed him off and threatened him." Ruby explained.

"I know about the fight, what are your suspicions?" David asked.

"The look she gives Hook is not how it used to be. She now looks at Regina that way, but even more so." Ruby said.

David looked confused, "I don't follow."

Granny nudged her granddaughter with her elbow, so the waitress continued, "I think Emma has feeling for the mayor."

"Are you insane?" The words slipped out of his mouth before he thought better of them. "Emma can't have feeling for Regina." He chuckled, but then stopped when he realized the other two women were not laughing.

"Look, I could be wrong, but I rarely am. Every time Emma comes in here or we are at the station and Regina comes in, she can't stop staring at her. She gets nervous when the other woman talks to her. I'm telling you, she has feeling for the mayor." Ruby said placing her hands on her hips.

David quickly sat down at the counter staring down. Now that he thought about it, he had seen these things. Emma had always been distracted when it came to Regina, but ever since they came back from the horrible book, it was worse.

He ran his hand through his short hair, "Regina has Robin and we all know there is no way she would choose Emma over him. She has worked too hard to get him."

The prince was a little surprised at his own response. He thought he should be angry and not want the queen anywhere near his daughter, and part of him did feel that way, but the other part has witnessed for far too long how unhappy his daughter has been. If Regina was her happiness then he would support her. David was certain that his daughter was off somewhere broken hearted. He knew the queen used to enjoy playing with things before she threw them away, he just hoped this wasn't the case when it came to Emma.

Snickering could be heard from the far end of the bar. Leroy was laughing as he sipped his coffee, "The savior and the Evil queen, now that would be interesting to say the least.'

"Unless you have something useful to add, then keep a lid on it Grumpy." Granny growled.

"As a matter of fact, Friday night I went to turn myself in like I do every Friday night after having a few, when I passed by the window and I saw the two kiss. Regina must have freaked because she bolted out of the door and disappeared in her usual fashion. Emma jumped in her car and took off after her. I was a little shocked at what I saw, so I went home to sleep it off." Leroy said taking another sip of his coffee.

The diner remained silent for several minutes after that. No one knew quite where to go with the information. It definitely confirmed Ruby's suspicions, but even the waitress wasn't prepared for the news.

David shook his head, "Okay, so where would they go? I already checked the mayor's house and no one is there. Robin and the boys are still camping, and I don't know where else to look."

"I'll head to the station and put a BOLO out for Emma's car." Ruby said untying her apron.

"I'll see if anyone else that comes in has seen either of them and let you know." Granny said.

David smiled to the woman, "Thank you, now I have to go and tell my wife."

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Baby Neal finally down for his nap. He had been up all night with his mouth. She wondered if Emma had been the same way when she was teething. It made her sad to know that she wasn't there to comfort her baby girl nor had she been able to experience any of Emma's childhood.

In the last few years Mary Margret and Emma had their ups and downs, but they always seemed to come out on top in the end. It killed her to know something was bothering her daughter and she couldn't talk about it.

Snow had her own demons she was battling since they came back from that alternate reality. She remembers everything. Everything she said and did as the Evil queen. The rage and hatred she had felt was so real. She couldn't understand how Regina was able to live like that for so long. She knew some of Emma's troubles were what she had done to her in the book.

The sound of keys in the lock jerked her from her thoughts. David walked in and she quickly wiped a rouge tear away before he could see it. She stood up from the sofa and went into the kitchen to put on some tea, "Hey." She smiled.

"Hey." He said stepping closer to the counter with his hands in his pockets.

As soon as her eye caught that of her husbands, she knew something was wrong, "What is it?"

"So I went to check on Emma at the station, and she is not there." He said.

Mary Margret raised an eyebrow, "Where is she?"

"I'm not sure, still looking." He said.

She knew she had to stay calm. Emma has been doing these little disappearing acts for a few months now, "I'm sure you will find her."

"Regina is missing too." David said.

Maybe it was just her, but her husband seemed to be acting a bit suspicious, "When was the last time someone saw them?"

"Last night." He said.

Mary Margret filled the kettle with water and placed it on the stove, "Are you telling me I should be worried. If Emma is with Regina, then there is a good reason. We have to stop expecting the worst from the mayor, she has already proven herself."

She watched her husband swallow, "No, I'm not saying you should be worried yet. We are still looking for them; they could be down by the docks for all we know." He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes.

"David? What are you not telling me about my daughter?" She asked as she narrowed her eyebrows.

Her husband ran a hand through his short hair, "Well, it would appear that through several eye witnesses, that our daughter likes Regina."

Snow tilted her head in much the same way as a puppy would, "What? Of course she like Regina, they are friends."

Her husband wiped his other hand over his mouth, "That's not what I mean."

"What the hell David, spit it out!" She said raising her voice.

"Our daughter has feeling for the Evil queen." He blurted out as quickly as he could.

Mary Margret's eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open, "What? How do you know that?"

David cleared his throat, "Well Ruby told me somethings she has witnessed, and when I think back on how she has been acting there are only two major things that have happened. One, we got back from the book, which she is having her own troubles dealing with." Snow nodded her head understanding what he meant and then he continued, "Two, Robin moved in with Regina. Emma had been going over there twice a week to have dinner with Henry and Regina, now she is avoiding everyone."

The kettle on the stove was starting to whistle so she turned off the burner and moved the kettle to a different one, "Okay, those are good points, but that still doesn't prove anything."

David sighed, "Leroy saw them kiss, and from what it sounds like, Emma kissed Regina and she wasn't happy about it."

Snow forgot about tea, she walked over and plopped down in a chair, "David, this can't be."

He didn't say anything, he just looked at her.

"She is older than me, not to mention she is my step-mother." Snow said, more to herself than her husband.

"What are we going to do David? Our little girl can't be with Regina." Snow's felt confused. How could she allow Emma to be with Regina of all people? Which none of this mattered, because Regina was with Robin. She had fought for a long time to be with him and there is no way she would give him up for Emma.

"Okay, slow down. First of all, age doesn't matter because if you noticed we are all pretty much the same age and second, you haven't looked at Regina as your step mother for many, many years." David said in a stern voice.

Mary Margret wasn't used to him raising his voice with her and it made her look up, "What are you saying, that it would be all right for her to be with our nemesis?"

"Oh so now she has went back to being our nemesis? Emma is our 'grown' daughter," He used his finger's to demonstrate the quotation, " And as far as I am concerned, as long as our daughter is happy, then I am happy." David looked irritated.

Snow watched her husband for a moment then sighed, "Your right." She said standing up and walking over to David, "We have all been through a lot and Emma deserves to love whoever she chooses to love. My only fear is that she will only stay heart broken, because Regina is with Robin."

David gave a tight lipped smile, "Your probably right about that, and we can't make Regina want her back, so all we can do is wait it out. I only want to find them to make sure they are both all right."

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Regina sat on her throne as she waited for Shaw. She looked around the room remincing on how the power of the queen position had made her feel. She briefly closed her eyes and took a deep breathe. The room even smelled the same. She hated the person she was back then, but she would be lying if she didn't admit to herself that she loved the power. Everything was at her finger tips and everyone bowed down to her.

Suddenly an image of her father popped into her head. She had been so consumed with revenge that she killed her own father. A tear slipped down her cheek at his memory. He had never protected her from her mother, but she did know he loved her, he was just a coward.

She wondered if her father and mother being dead meant that she was an orphan. She knew that only children could be orphans, but given who her mother was, she didn't have much of a childhood. Maybe she had more in common with the blonde than she thought.

The doors to the throne room flew open. Shaw marched in followed by several of his soldiers. When his eyes fell on Regina he smiled but looked surprised, "Your majesty." He bowed his head and his men followed, "Still radiant as always."

"Harold." She smiled although it did not meet her eyes.

"I have kept everything the way you left it my queen. To be honest, I feared you were never returning." He said with a smile that matched that of the queen.

Regina laughed, "For a while, I didn't think I would be either, however things have changed or so it appears."

"You are still a magnificent creature my queen. Tell me, how have you managed to not age at all?" He asked stepping closer.

Regina stood from the throne and met him at the bottom of the steps, "A lady never reveals a secret like that." She leaned forward embracing the man and then she gently kissed his cheek before pulling away.

Shaw grabbed her waist and pulled her back to him. He held her firmly against his front as he kissed her mouth. It was sloppy but passionate, and it made her stomach churn. She had to play along for the moment if she wanted to find out any information.

After an excruciating few seconds, he pulled back, "Gods how I have missed you." He kept their bodies pressed together, "Tonight we can have a proper reunion."

She smiled, but her brain had to tell her stomach and throat to stay calm. His none shaven face had been rough. Come to think of it, so was Robin's. When he would kiss her neck it would make her skin all red and irritated. Then there was Emma, she was so soft. He lips were gentle, not forceful like Shaw's. Robin had never been forceful with her, he had always been gentle, but now she found herself comparing Shaw and Robin, and physically they had many similarities.

Sarah entered the throne room catching the General's eye, but then she turned to Regina, "Your majesty, an early dinner has been prepared in the dining room."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter6**

Emma had chosen to ride up front with Esmeralda's father to give the other two women room. Sarah's mother was sick and unconscious. The maid had failed to mention just how sick she was. Come to think of it, Sarah failed to mention many things about the situation.

The sheriff found herself wishing the queen had joined them. She hated the thought of leaving her alone. What if Shaw or one of his guards tried to hurt her? What if Shaw tried something else? The worst part was Emma seemed to worry that Regina would allow him to try something.

Her mind was racing and she couldn't think straight. She had chewed her bottom lip until she tasted the metallic blood. A gentle but strong hand patted her knee causing her to look up.

"Come on child, the queen is a very strong woman." The old man said with a smile.

Emma looked up at him, "I know, but she's not the same person now."

He put his hand back in his lap, "Tell me, what are you really afraid of?"

That was a loaded question. She didn't want to answer. The sheriff wasn't sure herself, "I don't know. Many things I suppose."

The man watched the horses as the reigns were laced through his fingers, "You are afraid this place will make her turn back into the Evil queen?"

Emma nodded, that was a good guess, but it wasn't all she was worried about, "That's one of the things, yes." She glanced over at the man, "How do you do it?"

He looked over at her with such kindness in his eyes, "How do I do what?"

"Your wife is missing and you are so calm and remain so kind." She explained.

The old man looked straight ahead, but smiled, "I have hope. Remember one thing child, when all hope is lost, then what are we living for?"

Emma stared at his face for a moment and then shifted in her seat to look out in front of them. This man had to know her parents; because that was something they would have said. She remained quiet.

The blonde had felt a little strange since she woke up by the stream yesterday. Her magic was alive inside her. She could feel it in Story Brooke but it was different, here it feels like static electricity is coursing through her veins. She was glad the situation with the guard had not escalated, because she had no idea what would have happened.

The path through the forest was rough to say the least. Emma just thought the road had been bad. She has come to one conclusion; her ass was not cut out for this type of transportation. The only thing taking a wagon through the woods had proven was that it was good to rest your legs and haul your things, because it seemed to the sheriff that if she were walking she would make the same time at this speed.

Something had spooked the horses causing them to jerk their heads to the side as they rolled through the forest. Emma let her eyes scan the area, but she didn't see anything. The horses must have smelled something, either way it wasn't good.

The blonde reached behind her in the seat and pulled a sword out that they had collected before they left the castle. All she could think about was the ogre she and her mother had to deal with on her first trip to this place. Man do not let there be one of those, there not very friendly if her memory served her right.

The old man stopped the wagon as a man stepped out from a tree in front of them, "Fordel."

"Cappi." The old man said back.

Three other men step out from behind nearby trees, as the first one walked closer causing Emma to tighten her grip on her sword.

"How were you able to leave the queen's castle?" The first man asked.

Emma watched the old man beside her clench his jaw, but his lips smiled, "Through the front gate."

The man called Cappi laughed as he looked over at his three companions, "That's funny, because every gypsy we have seen enter that castle has yet to return."

Esmeralda's face appeared through the now open window on the front of the vardo, "Cappi what are you doing?" She disappeared and by the dip the wagon made, Emma could assume she had just climbed out.

The man's body tensed up as the dark haired woman walked towards him, "Get the hell out of our way. We are not your concern, so move."

"How were you all able to escape the queen?" He asked.

Esmeralda looked back at her father and the Emma, "Join us on the last stretch of our journey and we will fill you in when we get there, because you're not going to believe this."

The man stared at her for a few seconds and then nodded, "Very well, shall we?" He asked as he gestured for the wagon to continue.

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David climbed out of the cruiser and closed the door. Emma's bug was parked half on the grass and have on the actual pavement, only inches from the rod iron gate that led to the cemetery. She must have driven here while drinking. Ruby had called him to let him know that a passer by had spotted the car.

The prince glanced through the car, but there was nothing in it. He was actually surprised because usually there was food wrappers in the back, but it seemed to have been recently cleaned.

He closed the door and headed through the cemetery as quickly as he could. There was only one of two reasons Emma would come here. One would be to visit Neal's grave, but he was pretty sure that wasn't it. She only visited Neal when Henry was with her. The only other option was that she had followed Regina to her vault. He was well aware that this was the place the mayor liked to come when she was upset.

As he walked up to the mausoleum, he noticed the door was opened. Well the good news was he was pretty sure he had located the pair. The marble coffin that covered the stairs was already opened, so he carefully started to descend.

"Emma? Regina?" He figured it would be best to call for them in case they were in a position he was uninterested in imagining let alone seeing.

There was no answer so continued. Walking into the dim lighting, nothing seemed out of place, but the two women were not in sight. Where could they have gone? This didn't make any sense. Snow had dug through Regina's purse and found her cell phone only to see that she had miss many text messages from Robin and Henry had tried to call. After David had spoken to Robin, he found out that he had not seen either woman since Friday before he left.

David turned to leave and something crunched under his feet. Looking down he noticed the broken vase. To most it would have appeared to be nothing more than a broken vase, but he knew Regina and there was nothing usual about the items in her vault. He quickly pulled out his phone and dialed Gold's number.

"What can I do for you Sheriff Nolan?" Gold's voice was smooth as silk, which was always a little unsettling.

David hated having to ask the dark one for anything, but since Belle was trying to work things out with Gold, he knew he would be on his best behavior, "I need you to meet me at Regina's vault."

"Now sheriff, you do know I am a married man." The man joked.

David rolled his eyes, "Emma and Regina are missing. I have tracked their trail all the way to the vault, but they're not here."

"I'm not sure what it is you think I can do. If they are not there then they are somewhere else." Gold said sarcastically.

"Damn it Gold. There is a broken vase down here I need you to look at." David said getting annoyed.

There was a slight paused, "What kind of vase?"

The question was more serious and David knew he had the imp's attention, "I don't know antiques, but it looks Greek."

"Don't touch anything, I'm on my way." Gold said and then the phone clicked as he hung up.

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Regina was hungry, but she refused to eat the food from this castle. Ever since the guard had eaten from her plate that morning and died, she felt a little uneasy. Only a couple more hours and she could get away.

"So, tell me, your majesty, what have you been doing all this time while you were away?" The General asked with a hint of harshness to his tone.

The mayor put on her best fake smirk, "Where I have been is no one's concern, all that matters is that I am back."

He wiped his mouth with his napkin, "After the raid on the white castle, you were never heard from again. There were rumors that you were here a year ago, so I gathered all of the men who were left and we came here in search of you, and nothing." He reached across his plate and grabbed his chalice. Bringing the silver to his lips he paused, "I thought at first that the rumors were wrong, but when we got here there was evidence that someone had been here, yet you left no message for me."

Regina was glad she was sitting a good distance from the man. She swallowed but kept her poker face, "Well I didn't know where you were."

He sat his cup back down on the wooden table with a clank, "I worshipped you." The words passed through clenched teeth, "You knew I would crawl through the fires of hell to find you, but you left nothing for me to go on. You made me think you cared for me." His eyes were cold, but his mouth curled slightly into a smile.

Regina had watched the servant poor the same wine into the General's cup so she picked hers up and took a sip, then held it to her mouth as she swallowed. She sighed, "Don't be so dramatic Harold. Things were very complicated and still are."

She watched the muscle in his temple flex. He was irritated, she could tell. The mayor's heart was beating loudly, and she found it hard to keep up her facade. She was way out of her element now and so many things in her life had changed it made it difficult for her to fit into the character. Being a bitch was one thing, but it was a whole other game when it came to being the Evil queen, and she wasn't sure she had it in her anymore.

"Many things have changed since you have been away, my queen." He said placing his napkin down on his plate. He snapped his fingers over his head and a nearby guard rushed over and collected his plate and another refilled his glass.

This was going to be tougher than she had originally planned. His guards were more than loyal to him. She would have to up her game, "Maybe I should have taken you up on your offer so many years ago."

He smiled as he raised an eye brow, "Yes, you should have. You see one thing that has changed here, is that I no longer need to marry you to gain power, But if you play your cards right, I will allow you to keep your title."

She clenched her teeth, but smiled. He was an arrogant ass and it was driving her crazy. All she wanted was to knock that stupid smirk off his face. She took a large gulp of her wine, the brunette just needed to blast him a fireball and be done with it.

The General leaned back in his chair looking at his finger nails, "You now answer to me your highness."

Regina suddenly felt so sleepy. Her eyes were heavy and she couldn't focus. He must have drugged the wine. She was finding it hard to sit upright in the chair and now even her mind was fuzzy.

She heard fingers snap, and then someone grabbed her by her arms lifting her out of the chair, "Take her majesty to the dungeon." She heard Shaw say before everything went black.

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The sun had almost set and the fire was now casting dancing shadows on the trees. They had reached the stream a while ago and Esmeralda filled the four men they met earlier in on what had happened. There had been a little rise when the men started to bad mouth the queen which caused Emma to stand, but before anything could happen, the darker haired woman calmed the situation.

Emma stood with her back to the fire and the others as she leaned against a tree. She was kicking herself even more now for bringing Regina and herself here. Where was the mayor? Shouldn't she have been here by now?

The sheriff leaned her head up against the tree and closed her eyes. She could hear the men talking to Esmeralda.

"What did the queen find out about your mother?" The one called Cappi asked.

"She wasn't at the castle." Esmeralda said.

The man snorted, "She could be lying to you."

Emma spun around, "She's not lying. She let all of the prisoners go, if Esmeralda's mother had been down there then she would have let her go too."

"You speak with such certainty that your queen would not lie to you." He said looking up at the blonde, "But you fail to know the same queen we do and what she is capable of."

Emma stepped forward, "I know exactly what she is capable of, and she is no longer the person you are talking about."

Laughter erupted from the other men and Cappi smiled, "It would seem your feelings for the queen have clouded your judgment. Maybe we should introduce you to one of our ladies to take your mind of such a monster."

Emma's eyes flashed and she took another step closer. She flicked her wrist causing a burst of white light to fling the man backward onto the ground, "She is not a monster!"

Silence engulfed the group as they stared at Emma, eyes wide. Cappi sat up while still on the ground with a shocked expression, "You are a sorceress like the queen."

Emma was angry, but she was also disappointed in herself. Why did she always allow herself to lose control in everything she did? She never loses control in situations she should, only when she shouldn't, "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to."

Esmeralda stood up looking at Cappi, "She's right, the queen isn't the person she was before, or at least she is not the person I have heard so many stories about. She could have killed papa and me, but she didn't."

Cappi stood up dusting dirt and leaves from his clothes, his eyes stayed on the blonde, "She could be playing one of her games. She could be using this one." He gestured towards Emma, "To get you to lead her to the rest of us gypsies."

Emma sighed and rolled her eyes. Esmeralda shook her head, "No, she wouldn't do anything to put Emma in harm's way, and if nothing else, I trust Emma."

The sheriff smiled at her and then cleared her throat, "There is something I haven't told you."

They all looked up at the blonde expectantly, "I am the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming."

Gasps filled the air. Cappi looked confused, " If this is true, then you are working with your mother's nemesis."

"No and yes. Back in Story Brooke, They have some what made up." Emma said looking around at the untrusting faces, "I know it is hard to believe, but it's true. Our son, Henry, is the main reason it is possible."

The men exchanged looks, "Your son?"

Esmeralda spoke up, "She and the queen share a son."

Cappi narrowed his eyes, "So you and the queen are together?"

"No, we are not. I gave Henry up for adoption and Regina adopted him. Regina has worked on changing everything she is for him. She loves our son more than anything and she would never do anything to hurt him." Emma explained looking into the flames.

Her heart ached at her own words. She knew that the main reason Regina put up with her and had not done anything, well for the most part, to her was because of Henry. Maybe she had been blind to think that woman cared for her of her own will. Maybe their friendship was even because of Henry.

She had to change the topic, "You said that she could be using me to lure all of the gypsies. What does the General want with the gypsies?"

Cappi had gotten up from the ground and reclaimed his seat by the fire, "We don't know for sure." He grabbed flask that was sitting on the ground near his feet and popped the top off, "All we know is that our people are being taken away and never seen again."

Esmeralda's father spoke, "Rumors are that they are being collected to work on the construction of the queen's new castle."

Emma raised an eyebrow, "Where?"

"No one knows. It had been kept a secret and every time the royal carriage leaves, half of the army accompanies it. No one can get close enough to follow them." He said.

Emma walked over and sat down next to Cappi. He looked at her cautiously, but then offered her his flask. She took it with a smile then took a swig, "As soon as Regina gets here, we will find out what is going on."

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Footsteps were coming down the stairs and David looked up, "What the hell took you so long?"

"It's always such a pleasure visiting with the royal family." Gold smiled.

David put his hands on his hips, "I called you over an hour ago."

Gold raised his eyebrow with a smirk, "Oh, I didn't know you cared."

David sighed, "The vase is there." He said pointing to the glass on the floor.

He watched as the Imp's eyes followed the direction his finger pointed. Gold slowly walked over and bent down to examine the fragments. He picked up a piece and held it up to the light.

After what seemed like an eternity of listening to the other man make odd noises such as 'uh huh' and 'ahh', David asked, "Well?"

Gold looked up at the other man as if he had forgotten he was there, "This vase does not come from Greece."

"Okay, where does it come from and what does it mean?" The prince asked losing his patience.

Gold smiled at the discovery, "This vase comes from Atlantis. It was used to open portals between worlds." He chuckled, "Something tells me there is a very unhappy queen somewhere."

David's face went white, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well it looks like our clumsy savior was touching things she wasn't supposed to." He said.

The prince frowned, "Hey, you don't know if Emma did that or not."

Gold raised a knowing eyebrow to the other man. David sighed, "Okay, you're probably right."

The imp pulled a small cloth bag from his pocket and started collecting the pieces, "I will take this back to my shop and see what I can find out about it, you get your wife to meet Belle at the library, I have few things they need to research for me."

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Regina opened her eyes to a darkened room. She didn't need to look around to know where she was, because the stench told her she was in the dungeon. The smell was not as strong as it had been on her first journey down there, but it was still present.

Sitting up she grabbed her head and winced. The headache she just realized she had was intense. She could not remember the last time she had a head ache that bad. She slowly climbed to her feet.

Who the hell did he think he was locking her down here? She huff and snapped her fingers to make a fireball to blast the door, but nothing happened. She snapped again and again nothing.

Looking down at her wrist she could see the bracelet, "Shit." She hissed.

Emma would come for her and get herself killed. What was she going to do? She knew these dungeons and there was no escape. She cursed herself for being so blind, she should have blasted Shaw the moment she saw him.

Footsteps approached the door, and key jingled in the lock. As the door was opened, Shaw stood with two guards, "I see you had a nice nap."

"This is treason!" She growled.

He laughed walking closer to her. She back up until her back meets the cold stone of the wall. The queen was a bit nervous being without her magic; she didn't have much of a chance of defending herself without it.

"Not so high and mighty without your magic, are you your majesty? You have been away for quite some time and as I said before, things have changed." He said stepping into her personal space.

Shaw lifted his hand and gently caressed her face, then without warning he slapped her hard across the cheek, "You let some harlot assault my guards and allowed her to give orders to another which led to his death." He grabbed her chin forcing her eyes to look at him, "We could have been great."

Regina spit in his face, "There was never an us."

He flinched slightly pulling a white handkerchief from his shoulder plate and wiping his face. She thought to herself that he had taken that fairly well, but the thought was too soon, because a stiff fist connected with her cheek causing her to grunt and see stars.

"You are an ungrateful whore. You will remain in this dungeon until you come to see things my way, and believe me, you will see things my way." He grabbed the queen's face again pressing his course stubble covered mouth to hers.

The Mayor tried to fight him off, but he was stronger than she was. She pulled his lip in between her teeth and bit down causing the General to yelp. He pulled back and wiped his mouth with his fingers. Blood covered his hand and anger flashed in his eyes; he drew his fist back and punched her in the stomach causing her to fall to the dirty straw covered floor.

He turned and exited the cell, "I will break you my queen. One way or another." He called over his shoulder and then slammed the cell door.

Once she was able to catch her breath that the blow had taken from her she stood up, walking over the nearby cot she sat down. The pressure on her face let her know that it was swelling up. She leaned back letting her back red against the wall.

She took a deep breath and slowly let it out, "Well, you really did it this time." She said to herself.

Keys jingling in the lock caused her eyes to shoot up to the door and a second of fear to flash across her face. She quickly changed her expression, the last thing she would let the General see was fear.

The door opened and in walked Sarah. Regina's eye went large, "What are you doing down here?"

"Getting you out." Her expression changed to worry when she saw the queen's faces, "Your majesty, has he hurt you?"

"I'm fine Sarah, you shouldn't be here." She said up at the girl.

"I gave my word to Emma that I would ensure your escape." She moved to the queen and helped her to her feet, "We don't have much time, we have to go now."

"How? There is no escaping this dungeon my dear. I designed it myself." Regina said.

Sarah smiled, "I have no doubt that was your intentions, but the thing about having servants build places like this for you, is you can rest assure there is a secret entrance where food is smuggled in for their loved ones who are falsely imprisoned."

Regina was speechless. Had she known about this when she was the Evil queen, she may have put the servants to death. However, now she wanted to hug them.

"Lead way." Regina said.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you to everyone who has read and/or reviewed. I hope you continue to enjoy the story and I hope you all have a wonderful Thanks Giving. For those of you who do not celebrate the same holiday, I hope you have a wonderful day just the same. :)**

 **Chapter7**

The sun would be up in an hour or two, but she couldn't sleep. Where was she? Emma hoped the queen was okay. She was going stir crazy, she wanted to head back to the castle and get the mayor herself.

"Emma, you should really get some sleep." Esmeralda's voice whispered from behind her.

The blonde had been standing by the stream watching the moonlight dance across the moving water, "I can't sleep until I know Regina is okay."

Esmeralda gave a tight lipped smile, "Maybe she isn't coming."

Emma looked up at the darker haired woman, "If she said she would be here, then she will be."

"I just think you should at least consider the possibility that she is home. Even a man who has a problem with the drink doesn't do well when in a place surrounded by drink."

Emma glared, "No! Regina would never chance doing anything to betray Henry's trust. Stop trying to convince me otherwise." The blonde was fuming. There were many things in her life that she was not certain about, and some of those things concern Regina, but the one thing she knows for sure is Regina's love for their son.

"Okay, okay." The dark haired woman shook her head. "I do hope for the sake of your heart you are right about her."

Emma never blinked an eye as she stared into the green eyes of her gypsy friend, "I am right about this."

"You are right about what, Miss. Swan?" The blonde turned her head to the sound of the queen's voice.

Without thinking she ran to the other woman throwing her arms around her, "Oh thank the Gods. I thought something had happened." She said pulling back to look at the older woman's face. Her eyes narrowed, when she saw the dark bruised eye and swollen cheek on Regina's otherwise perfect olive skin, "What happened?"

The mayor pulled away gently breaking eye contact, "It's nothing, I'm fine."

"Who did this? Did Shaw?" Emma was angry. She could feel the magic coursing furiously through her veins.

"Emma, calm down." Regina said in a quiet but in a warning tone.

"What? Someone hit you and you want me to calm down." Emma said raising her voice a couple of octaves.

Regina reached out taking Emma's hand, raising it up so the blonde could see. There were white flakes of light swarming in her veins making her skin almost transparent.

The sheriff gasped in disbelief. Slowly the light started to dissipate as the bruise on the brunette's face was momentarily forgotten. Her eye glanced down at the hand that held hers and noticed the bracelet. She knew what it was. It was almost an exact match to the one they used on her back in Story Brooke.

"Did he hurt you?" Emma voice was soft, but serious.

The queen knew what she was asking. She wanted to know if he had forced himself on her.

Regina locked eyes with the blonde, "No, he didn't."

The sheriff stared at her for a moment, when she was satisfied that the queen was telling the truth, relief flooded her features. Sarah was standing behind the mayor and had she not shifted in her stance, Emma may not have realized she was there.

"Hold it right there!" Cappi shouted as he pointed his blade only inches from the queens back.

Emma tensed up, "Cappi, I'm warning you."

"How do we know this isn't a trick? She could have the General following her to hand us all over." He said poking Regina in the back causing her to move forward at the sharpness.

Emma glared and stepped forward, "Put the sword down or what I did to you earlier will be no comparison for what I will do to you if you don't."

Esmeralda put her hand over the man's blade and gently pressed down to make him lower it, "Don't be stupid Cappi, if you wish to find your wife, this isn't the way."

The man swallowed and nodded to the darker haired woman in understanding. Esmeralda let out a breath which could be seen in the freezing morning air.

Emma quickly stepped forward and connected her fist with the man's mouth. Regina gasped in shock. She stepped in between the blonde and the man when Emma started to move forward again, "Emma, stop it."

The sheriff clenched her teeth staring directly in Cappi's eyes, "You do something like that again and you will be sorry."

Emma turned storming off away from the group. Even if Regina didn't feel the same way about her, there was no way in hell she would let anyone hurt her. Henry would be disappointed in her. She chuckled to herself, who was she kidding, at this moment Henry had nothing to do with her actions.

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Henry rushed through the front door of the mansion. He had enjoyed his time in the woods, but he was so looking forward to a shower and his nice warm soft bed. Robin had told him that sleeping on the ground was good for the soul. Henry's new opinion was that it may be good for the soul but it wreaks havoc on one's back.

He dropped his back pack in the entry way as he hurried into the kitchen. He missed his mother's cooking. Robin was many things, you could even say he was good at many things, but cooking was not one of them. He killed a squirrel for them to eat and that was something the teen planned never to do again unless an absolute emergency. Every squirrel they passed on the way home made him feel guilty.

"Mom?" He called as he noticed she wasn't cooking breakfast. That was strange; she had fixed breakfast every Sunday morning for quite a while now.

Robin and Roland walked in behind him, "Well I guess it is a good thing we decided to come home early this morning, it's starting to snow."

The cell phone in the archer's pocket went off, for a few seconds he looked around like he was looking for the noise.

"It's your phone." Henry said pointing to the man's shirt pocket.

"Oh, right." He smiled and pulled out the device.

"Hello?" Henry watched as the clueless man spoke into the ancient flip phone.

The archer looked at Henry and then turned to walk away, "Yeah, no I'm here. What can I do for you sheriff?"

Henry's curiosity was now peeked at the man odd behavior. So he slowly walked towards the entry way.

"They are still missing? No, I didn't tell him. We just got to Regina's." Robin said with his back to the kitchen.

"All right, I'll drop them off at the diner and meet you at the station." He clicked his phone closed and slipped it back into his pocket.

"What was that about?" Henry asked startling the man.

"Hey, Henry. Umm, that, oh nothing. I figured we could all go over to the diner for something to eat." Henry could totally tell he was hiding something.

The teen crossed his arms, "You're lying. Tell me."

Robin laughed nervously, "It's no big deal, just need to go over some things with your grandfather."

Henry noted that he said grandfather and not mother, so something was already a miss. His mother had been avoiding Hook and working day and night to do so, "Where are my mom's?"

Robin's eyes widened, "What makes you think I know?"

"I'm not five Robin. Your girlfriend should be here cooking breakfast like she does every Sunday morning, yet she isn't here. My other mother, the sheriff, should be at the station where she has taken up residence in an attempt to avoid her make up wearing boyfriend and other issues she has been dealing with since we all got back from that book, yet you are going to meet my grandfather. So tell me what's going on." Henry said with a scowl.

Robin was dumbfounded, he had obviously underestimated the teens observation skills. He let out a loud sigh, "Your mothers are missing. David called me yesterday to ask me if they were with us, but they were not."

Before the man could get out another word the teen took off running out the door. His feet hit the pavement at tremendous speed. Henry was headed to the station to see his grandfather.

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David sipped his coffee slowly as he stared out the window watching the town come to life. Getting out of bed had been a chore due to the fact that the weather was cold. Their boiler had burst last night in their building and the repair man couldn't come out to fix it until this morning, so they sent baby Neal home with Ruby. His beautiful wife had suggested that they would rough it. She said it was like camping in the forest except in luxury. She had been right, but it did not make climbing out of the nice warm bed into the freezing loft any more appealing.

A flash ran by the window. For a moment he could have sworn the blur resembled Henry. His mind had not had enough coffee to compute very fast.

"Grandpa!" Henry's voiced called.

The sudden shout in the silent station caused the man to jump, spilling hot coffee down the front of his shirt, "Shit!."

Henry came through the glass door not looking happy, "Why didn't you call me?"

David was trying to hold his now wet shirt away from his skin as he walked to his desks for some napkins, "Good morning to you too."

"You seriously called Robin, before you called me?" The teen said following his grandfather to the desk.

"I didn't want to worry you, and at the time we didn't know where your mothers were." He said.

Henry's nostrils flared, "They are my mom's. You are supposed to tell me first. I have a right to know if something happens to them."

David sighed throwing the wet napkins he had dabbed his shirt with into the waste basket, "Your right, I'm sorry. I didn't know for sure if they were missing or if they…" He let the words die on his lips. He did not need to open an unwanted can of worms.

"Stop trying to hide things from me. I know Emma is in love with my mom. Every one acts like I'm some little kid." Henry said throwing his hands up in the air.

"Emma's in love with Regina?" Hooks said from the doorway, causing the teen and the sheriff to look up.

Robin had picked that moment to enter the station as well. The archer didn't say anything, but by his expression he was affected by the words.

David straightened his back, "Hook, I'm sure Robin told you that Regina and Emma are missing."

Hook ignored the sheriff, "What do you mean Emma is in love with Regina?"

Henry looked up at his grandfather and David made another attempt, "We don't have time for that right now Killian, we need to find the girls first."

Hook looked like someone had just told him his dog died, but he swallowed and nodded his head. David was ready for this day to end. Now he would have to deal with a broken hearted pirate, a clueless archer and an overly observant teenage boy, great this day just keeps getting better.

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Regina arched her back as she stretched. Emma, Esmeralda and Regina shared one of the two tents the gypsies owned. The other tent held all four of the gypsy men they had met on the road and Esmeralda's father, while Sarah and her ill mother slept in the vardo.

The mayor opened her eyes and watched as her breath came out as thick as fog. The castle may have been drafty, but it was definitely warmer than this. She cast her eyes over to her bed mates. Jealousy instantly washed over her at the sight. Esmeralda was curled up to Emma's back, her face buried in the sheriff's blonde locks. She couldn't blame the blonde for being attracted to the other woman, she was beautiful.

Emma shifted in her sleep throwing her hand over Regina's waist. The feeling was nice, the warmth from the blonde caused goosebumps to rise over her skin. She closed her eyes, to try and imagine what it would be like to wake up every morning with blonde.

The mayor let out a slow and shaky breath as she opened her eyes. She gasped slightly as she noticed the blonde's eyes were watching her. Her eyes glanced down at Emma's lips. Quickly she pushed the younger woman's arm away and crawled out of the tent.

She walked over to the stream to splash some icy water on her face. What was wrong with her? Robin was back home waiting for her. She wanted to be with him, didn't she? She was so confused and it seemed to be getting worse.

"You didn't sleep long, your majesty." The old gypsy man said.

Once she caught her breath from the shock the freezing water had on her skin, she stood up looking back at the tent and then at him, "I couldn't sleep any longer and needed some fresh air, and please call me Regina, I'm not the queen anymore."

The man looked at her with curiosity, and he looked back towards the tent, "You know, sometimes the answer isn't always as simple as you think it should be."

Regina looked at the old man sideways, "I don't understand."

He smiled and patted her arm as he turned to walk away, "I'll put on some tea and start breakfast."

The queen's stomach growled at the word breakfast. She was so hungry; she was willing to eat that prepackaged garbage Emma like to pour into her body back in Story Brooke. Thinking of Story Brooke only made her miss home more, or maybe she missed normal, she wasn't sure.

She joined the old man by the fire. The smoke was irritating, but the warmth was welcoming, "Can I help you with breakfast?"

The man looked surprised at her offer and smiled, "How about you make the tea and I'll heat up the stew."

The water for the tea only took a few minutes to heat up over the flames. She used a thick piece of cloth to remove the now hot kettle from the fire. She wrapped some tea leaves up in different pieces of cheese cloth and placed them in two cups. She poured the hot water in and sat the kettle back down.

Regina picked up one of the cups and repeated dunked the cheese cloth. Movement from off to the side caught her attention. She watched as Emma crawled out from the tent. She turned her back to the brunette to bend over and close the tent back.

The queen's breath caught as she watched the black leather pants hug the blonde's ass. Whose idea was it to give her those to wear? Emma slowly turned raising her arms over her head to stretch causing the linen shirt to rise up exposing the smooth pale skin of her stomach. The God's were messing with her. When the blonde put her arms back down, it was abundantly clear that she was not wearing a bra for the fact that her nipples had hardened in the cold air and now were pressing against the thin material.

The old gypsy man cleared his throat to get the brunette's attention. She whipped her head around to look at him, her cheek bright red. He raised his eyebrow as he passed her a bowl of the now steaming stew.

"Sorry, Thank you." She said avoiding eye contact.

"Guess something caught your attention." He smiled picking up the other cup she had poured.

Regina sheepishly took a bite of the stew. Maybe it was because she hadn't eaten in two days, but this stew was the best thing she had ever eaten. It was good enough to make her forget about getting caught by the old gypsy ogling the blonde.

Emma must have gone to wash her face and had now returned. Her face was still damp and some stray strands of hair stuck to the dampened skin. The brunette tried not look directly at the other woman as she sat down across the fire from her.

The old gypsy man asked, "Would you like some tea?"

The younger woman scrunched up her nose, "You don't have coffee?"

The old man looked at Regina not understanding which caused her to chuckle. She looked over at the sheriff, "Coffee is not really a thing here, Miss. Swan."

Emma leaned back against the tree that was behind her and rubbed her eyes, "In that case, I'll pass. Thank you."

The blonde picked up a fur throw from a log next to her and placed it around her shoulders, "I forgot to tell you, that we are going to help the gypsies locate their families."

Regina nearly choked on her food, "You told them what?" She sat the bowl down beside her and stood up.

"Yeah, I told them we would help." Emma said shrugging her shoulders.

The queen walked quickly over to the blonde pulling her to her feet by her arm. She all but drug her over to the stream where they were out of ear shot, "How could you tell them that. We have to find a way home. We don't have time to run all over creation looking for people."

Emma shrugged her shoulders again, "Come on Regina. These people are helping us, the least we can do is help them."

Regina pinched the bridge of her nose placing her other hand on her hip, "I get it, there nice people, but we have to find a way home."

The blonde licked her lips, "They may be able to help us get home. Besides, Henry would want you to help them."

The mayor crossed her arms, "Really? That's a low blow Miss. Swan."

"He's the whole reason you put up with me, right? I mean everything you do is because of him. You are only my friend because of him." The sheriff's voice was cold.

Regina tilted her head, "What? Where is this coming from?"

"Forget it. You can do whatever you want, but I am not leaving until I help them find their people." The blonde said and walked away without waiting for a response from the queen.

What the hell just happened? Talk about mood swings. The queen just wanted to go home, she was tired, cold and stressed. What else could possible go wrong?

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Gold looked up from a book he was staring down at on the counter as Henry followed David into the shop. He couldn't help but think how strange thinks seemed now. He was still angry with Rumple for stabbing his mother in the book. He would have forgiven him except his grandfather knew exactly what he was doing and had his mother not stepped in front of the imp's sword, it would have been Henry who lay dying on the ground.

Gold refused to look at his grandson, so instead he addressed David, "I haven't found out a lot about the vase, but I do know we need to put it back together."

"Just magic it back." Henry said coldly.

Rumple still didn't look at the boy, "It's not that simple. The spell your Regina put on my heart doesn't allow me to use my magic like I did before." He let his eyes pass quickly over the teen then back to David, "We need to find someone who can put the vase back together exactly the way it was. There can be no mistakes."

Henry watched David scratch his head, "Who do we know who is good at puzzles?"

A smile spread across the teen's face, "Granny."

"Granny?" David asked.

"Yeah, she does nothing but jig saw puzzle when she is not working in the diner. Her house is filled with them. Ruby buys her one every holiday. She can put a fifteen hundred count puzzle together in less than two days." Henry said excitedly.

David looked at Rumple who looked back at him, "We don't have any other options."

"Henry, you can go and talk to Granny. She seems to like you more than anyone else." David said.

The boy nodded and head for the door. He had no idea how his mothers were fairing where ever they were, but he knew they had to find a way to get them back fast. He couldn't survive without them.

He jogged across the street holding his arms across his chest to protect himself from the wind and snow. It seemed to be snowing harder as the hours passed. He hoped the weather was better where his mothers were.

"Hey Henry, wait up." Hook called jogging up beside him.

"I have to get over to the diner." He said hoping the pirate would go away, but unfortunately things were never that easy.

"I'll join you lad." Hook said.

Henry rolled his eyes to himself. He had heard his birth mother complain about how clingy the pirate had been. He literally suffocated people, which surprised Henry that Emma was still alive.

"Hey, what you were saying back at the station?" Hook said in more of a question.

"Yeah?" Henry knew what the pirate wanted to know, but he was going to make him work for it.

"What did you mean when you said Emma was in love with Regina? Did she tell you that?" He asked, his voice straining against the cold.

Henry raised an eye brow, "She doesn't need to say it. Someone would have to be blind not to notice how she stares at my mom. She gets nervous when she is around her, and she is jealous of Robin."

The pirate stopped walking with his mouth open, after a second he hurried to catch back up to the teen, "Are you sure? Emma told me she loved me."

Henry sighed, "Look, I know Emma cares for you, but not like that. She talks constantly about my mom. Before Robin came back, she was so happy when we had family dinners together."

"Come on mate, she could have been happy because of you." The pirate tried.

Henry stopped walking and looked at Hook, "She only looks at one person that way, and that's my mom. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but she is not in love with you Hook." He gave the man a sympathetic look and then started walking again, leaving the man dumbfounded as the snow fell.

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Emma didn't know what caused her to snap at the mayor. She didn't mean it. She knew the mayor's feelings were not the same as hers. She was pretty sure the queen had kissed her back at the castle, but everything happened so fast. The blonde wasn't fully convinced that she hadn't imagined it.

The sheriff sat back down at her seat near the tree. She didn't know how she would be able to go back to normal when they got back to Story Brooke. She rubbed her hand over her face in frustration, and then pulls her hair back behind her ears.

She watched Regina reclaim her seat across the fire from Emma. She was so beautiful, her chocolate brown eyes, and silky dark hair. Those soft full lips. The sheriff shook her head of the thoughts before they were able to move down the queen's body.

Esmeralda emerged from the tent. When the darker haired woman met Emma's eyes, she made sure to smile and repeatedly raise her eyebrows to tease the blonde about the queen, which caused Emma to smile.

Emma's eyes glanced over catching those of Regina's. She looked over her shoulder at the gypsy woman, then turned back to the blonde and rolled her eyes. She stood up and walked towards the vardo.

The sheriff chewed her lip as she watched the mayor leave. What was that about? She asked herself. Emma tilted her head, and replayed the scene in her mind, she was jealous. A smile spread across the blonde's face. How could she have not realized that sooner? The queen was jealous of Esmeralda.

"What's with the silly grin?" Esmeralda asked pouring hot water into a cup for tea.

"I know why Regina doesn't like you." Emma said still smiling.

The other woman looked up, "Because I have been rude to her."

Emma laughed, "No, although you have been. She doesn't like you because she is jealous of you."

"Why would the queen be jealous of me?" Esmeralda said dipping her cheese cloth into the hot water.

"I think she thinks that you like me." She said.

"I do like you. We are friends." The other woman said naively.

Emma laughed again, "No, I mean like you want to be with me."

"Oh. No wonder she keeps glaring at me. We should tell her the truth." The gypsy said starting to rise.

"No, let make her stew on it a while. She has Robin to go home to; her jealousy is the best I'll get. Besides, when we get back, she won't have to worry about me anymore." Emma said staring into the white smoke the fire was making.

Esmeralda poured up another cup of tea, "I'll keep the secret for now, but don't string her along for too long, you may miss your shot."

Emma watched the gypsy take the fresh cup of tea towards the vardo. Thoughts of Robin and Henry laughing on Regina's couch played in her mind. She closed her eyes leaning her head back against the tree. Her shot was lost when they brought Robin back from New York.

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Sarah had let the queen into the wagon to see Georgina. She didn't know why, but she felt compelled to at least check on her well being. She wasn't sure why except she did feel guilty about what she had done to the woman in her past, and Emma using Henry against her.

Emma was confusing her. Did she want her or didn't she? She sure had no problem snapping at her only to smile at the gypsy. She had to get a grip. Why was she even worried about it? She was going home to be with Robin, her soul mate. The same man she fought to be with for so long.

There was a tap on the door of the vardo and Sarah opened the door. Esmeralda stepped inside with a small smile, which caused Regina to roll her eyes. The mayor just couldn't get a break.

"Your majesty." Esmeralda said bowing her head briefly.

Regina nodded her head in acknowledgment, but didn't say anything.

"Sarah, papa has made some stew if you are hungry. I brought some tea for your mother." The dark haired gypsy said with a soft smile.

The maid smiled, "Thank you. Do you mind staying with her until I get back? I don't think you will be able to wake her enough for tea, but you can try."

Sarah got up and exited the wagon in search of food. The other two women sat in awkward silence for a moment. Regina refused to look at the gypsy. She was afraid she would be able to see all of the things Emma found alluring about her.

Esmeralda walked closer to the sleeping woman and gently shook her shoulder, "My lady, I have some tea for you."

Regina rolled her eyes again. The gypsy just referred to the maid as lady not to mention everyone kept calling Emma lady when she was a princess. That only proved that the woman had no class and was from a much lower station of people.

"Her name is Georgina." The queen said in an annoyed tone.

Esmeralda looked up at the queen curiously, "Georgina." She repeated.

The sleeping woman groaned, "Sarah?"

The dark haired gypsy tried to raise the woman's head slightly and put the tea cup to her lips, "Sarah will be back shortly. Can you drink for me?"

The woman attempted to drink the warm liquid, but she coughed causing most of it to spill out and run down her chin.

Regina watched as Esmeralda laid the woman back down onto the pillows and used a cloth to wipe her mouth, "It's all right. Maybe we can try again later, hum?" She said in a low and gentle voice.

The mayor noticed that the darker haired woman must have taken care of the ill before, because she seemed to have a knack for it. Regina had never really been good with people. That's why she favored her horses.

Esmeralda set the cup down on a small table and looked over at Regina, "I know you don't like me much, but we need to work together."

The queen raised an eye brow, "Apparently I don't have a say in it, so it doesn't matter."

The darker haired woman sighed, "Look, if you help us to get our people back, I will personally make sure you and Emma find a way home."

"And how are you going to do that?" She lifted her arm to show the bracelet, "I'm not sure what Emma thinks I can do without magic." She huffed.

Dark green eyes stared at her, for a second she felt like they may be able to see into her soul. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

"You know, you should trust Emma a bit more." She said.

Regina raised an eyebrow, "How is my trusting Emma, or anything else for that matter, your concern?"

The dark green eyes still bore into her, but a smile crossed her features, "You know why I told Cappi to put his sword away?"

Regina sneered, "No, but I am sure you are going to tell."

"Because I trust Emma and Emma trusts you." Esmeralda said.

Georgina coughed and moved in the bed causing both women to look over at her. The dark skinned woman opened her eyes and looked at Regina. Her voice was barley a whisper, "You can't trust her."

The other two women looked at one another in confusion and Esmeralda asked, "Can't trust who?"

Regina leaned closer to hear, as the woman fought to keep her eyes open, "The girl."

The two women looked at one another again, "What girl?" Regina asked rhetorically.

Esmeralda stared down at the floor as if in thought, "Who is she talking about? One of us or has the sickness got to her mind?"

The door on the vardo opened and Regina jumped. Sarah had returned with a bowl of stew juice for her mother. The brunette lock eyes for a moment with the gypsy and then she looked back down to Georgina.

The woman in the bed was looking at her daughter. Her eyes were not filled with love, but with fear, "Ummm, Esmeralda and I will leave you to tend to your mother." She gave a sweet yet fake smile to the maid.

"Thank you both for keeping her company. I hope she didn't trouble you with any mindless rambling." Sarah said back.

Esmeralda started to speak, but Regina cut her off, "No, of course not." She kept the smile on her lips as she looked at the gypsy and then back to the girl, "Just holler if you need something."

She gestured with her head for the darker haired woman to follow as she climbed out of the wagon. After a moment, the gypsy followed.

Esmeralda was about to ask what that was about, but Regina grabbed her arm and started pulling her away from the wagon and a little further into the woods. She motioned for Emma, who was still sitting by the fire to follow.

Once she felt they were a safe enough distance from the camp, Regina turned around.

"What's going on?" Emma asked.

The queen took noticed that the blonde had covered the linen shirt with a black tunic and a heavy cloak. Man she looked sexy as hell. Regina shook the thought, "Georgina said that we cannot trust the girl."

Emma looked confused and the gypsy said, "When we were in the vardo, Sarah's mother tried to speak with us. She said we could not trust her, and when we asked who, she said the girl."

The blonde raised an eye brow, "Okay. That could be anyone."

Regina let her eyes glide over both women, "I think she is talking about the maid."

"Why would she be talking about her own daughter?" Emma asked.

Esmeralda didn't say anything; she look as though she was far away in thought.

"I'm not the only person in the world who has a strained relationship with their mother Emma. The girl is hiding something, not to mention when she came back into the wagon, she automatically told us to dismiss anything Georgina said, not exactly in those words but it was implied." Regina tried to explain.

Emma crossed her arms over her chest, "She wanted to save her mother and get away from the castle, if she wasn't worried about her mother, she would have left her behind. Sarah hasn't done anything but be nice to use, and how do you know her mother's name?"

Regina really wasn't in the mood for this conversation, but since now both women were waiting for an explanation she sighed loudly, "She was my hand maiden many years ago."

The two women continued to look at her, "I may have been less than nice to her."

Emma sneered, "Well that's a big shocker."

The brunette felt an unwanted ache in her chest from Emma's response. Had this conversation arose back in Story Brooke days ago, she would have brushed the comment off, but hearing it here and now hurt."

"Well that doesn't matter right now." Esmeralda said. Regina could see the other woman noticed the pained look she had had, "What matters is that I think the queen is right."

The mayor and Emma looked up at the darker haired woman in surprise.

"Before I saw you in the library yesterday, I had seen the hallway littered with guards. I went to my father's room to check on him and when I came out to go explore, not a single guard was to be had." Esmeralda explained.

Emma still wasn't convinced, "That doesn't prove anything."

The gypsy looked at Regina and sighed, "Okay, what about her finding us in the library and warning us about the guards loyalty, she could have told us all of that the night before, but instead, she listens to you and the queen's conversation and then leaves without saying a word. Then while we are in the library, we just so happen to hear two guards disrespect the queen. Come on Emma, something doesn't add up with her."

Emma remained quiet and chewed her lower lip.

Esmeralda looked at the mayor, "How did you get away?"

"Well, after the fun filled visit with Shaw in the dungeon, he left. A few minutes later, Sarah came down and unlocked the cell door, then she was able to lead me straight out through some secret tunnel that I didn't even know existed. There were no guards, not even outside. We made it all the way here without even one incident." Regina explained, "I think she is trying to lead us into a trap."

Emma rubbed her face with her hand and looked over her shoulder to ensure they were still alone, "Okay, let's say I agree with what you are suggesting, Why aren't the guards here to arrest us all."

"Because that is not part of the plan." Esmeralda whispered more to herself.

Both Emma and Regina looked over at her, "What plan."

The darker haired woman had tears welling up in her eyes, "They want us to attempt to free my people, so they can capture the rest of us."

"The rest of us? You mean the rest of the gypsies." Emma said.

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David leaned back in the stiff roller chair of the surveillance room of the hospital and rubbed his eyes. Whale had called telling him that someone had been stealing medicine from three of the four medical cabinets in the hospital.

Gold still hadn't found anything new and until Granny finished putting the vase back together, he had time. This wasn't the first time someone had stolen from the medical supplies. David just couldn't understand why the hospital couldn't watch the video and catch the perp. That's what the cameras were for, but no he had to come all the way down here to watch them himself.

He had been watching the videos for what felt like forever. So many nurses went into the medical supply throughout the day; it made it hard to tell what they were taking out for patients or what they could possibly be stealing. Whale had dismissed Emma when she had suggested that only certain nurses be in charge of the medical cabinets, but he said it was too time consuming.

He finally reached the last video. The prince slid the cassette into the player and hit the play button. He rubbed his eyes again, hoping he could stay focus. He pressed the fast forward button so that he could only stop it when someone went up to the medicine cabinet.

Several times he hit play to slow the footage down as nurses approach the cabinet, but after a few nurses collected medicine, none seemed suspicious. He let out a loud sigh, he just wanted the thief and then he could leave this small Claustrophobic room.

A teenage boy walked up to the cabinet and the prince slowed down the video. The boy used a key, opened the case and grabbed what looked like a bottle of pills and slipped them into his coat pocket. If the kid had a key, he must be a nurse's son.

"Gotcha." David said out loud.

He moved his hand to hit the stop button when something caught his attention. He pressed rewind on the player and waited a couple of seconds and then pressed play. There in the circular mirror on the wall near the ceiling opposite the boy was the reflection of a man.

David looked at the time stamp. It said eight forty five this morning, "That weird." He whispered.

The man in the reflection looked a lot like Robin. Why would he need to come to the hospital? David quickly picked up the tapes from other areas of the hospital with the same time stamps.

He picked up the tape labeled entrance and slipped it in. Sure enough, only two minutes before his reflection had shown up on the medicine cabinet footage, Robin walks into the hospital carrying flowers.

David watched which direction he turned and then grabbed the next video that would line up to where he was headed. He got on the elevator and pressed down. The prince scratched his head, what was in the basement?

He stood up and poked his head out of the small room. Spotting Dr. Whale he motioned for him to come over.

"Where are the videos from the lower levels?" David asked.

"Downstairs. Regina didn't want any of those videos winding up in the wrong hands." Whale said. "Did you find out who the thief is?"

"umm, still working on it. I will have the perp in custody by the end of the day." David said as he started walking down the hall towards the elevators.

He climbed into the small box and pressed the B button. The elevator was fast and before he had time to worry about the size of the compartment, the doors opened at the basement level floor.

David walked up to the desk where the slightly creepy nurse sat, "Good afternoon."

She looked up at him unamused, "What can I do for you sheriff?"

"I need to see your surveillance footage." He said with a smile.

She stared at him for a moment and then said, "You know I can't do that without the mayor's permission."

"This is official police business." David said dropping his smile.

"I'm sorry sheriff, I was given specific instruction. You wouldn't want me to lose my job, now would you?" She asked.

"Do you think that she will allow you to keep your job if she thinks you are letting certain people down here without her permission?" He raised his eye brow.

She narrowed her eyes, "No one has been down here sheriff that was not permitted."

"How many times has Robin come down here?" He asked crossing his arms over his chest.

"Mr. Locksley has not been down here without being accompanied by the mayor herself." She sneered.

"Well that's funny; because the video footage from this morning shows one unescorted Robin Locksley entering an elevator heading in this direction." David said pointing to the elevators.

The nurse open and closed her mouth in a similar manner of a fish. She seemed shocked, but still couldn't find the words.

"So either you are hiding something or he slipped past you somehow. I don't think the mayor will take kindly to a slip up like that." He said.

The woman stood up and motioned for the sheriff to follow her, "I was only away for a couple of minutes. The videos are in there." She pointed to a small room behind her desk.

David walked in locating the box that held the cassettes for the appropriate time. He pushes it into the machine and pressed play. Sure enough Robin exited the elevator at the exact time as the nurse disappeared down the hall.

Hood walks down the hallway and stops at a door to the left. He pulls a key from his pocket and opens the door. But then disappears inside the room. David quickly scans the box and finds the footage from that room's video. Wasn't that an invasion of privacy, having a camera in a patient's room?

Slipping the cassette into the machine and pressing play, he realizes the camera only records the door. Robin opens the door and steps inside. David watches as the man passes the flowers to Zelena.

Maybe the man just felt obligated to the woman for carrying his child. David could respect that. He would want to make sure his child is healthy and…. The sheriff's mind stopped as he watched the archer wrapped the other woman in his arms and kiss her. He was pretty sure there was tongue.

David felt awkward seeing that. He felt as though he was invading their privacy, but then again, he was screwing with his family. He hadn't always, okay almost never gotten along with the queen, but they had come a long way since the first curse. He actually cared for Regina and even more so for his grandson. Robin had everyone believing he was madly in love with the mayor, only to be cheating on her with her witch of a sister.

The prince leaned back in the chair and sighed. He looked down at the box and noticed they videos only went back for a week.

He called out to the nurse, "I need all of the footage that you have from the day Zelena was first incarcerated here."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter8**

Esmeralda had sent Cappi and the other men on a mission to find the other gypsies and warn them. She had convinced Sarah that they were going to find some of their family and bring them back. She had tried to get her father to join them, but he refused to leave her or his vardo.

In their secret meeting, Emma had found out what the General had done to Regina. The queen had been reluctant, but finally told them even what the man had said. This only made the blonde mad. She hated this place even more and wanted to go home.

Fordel, the old gypsy man, had packed up everything waiting to go. The women had decided they would continue on their quest to locate the gypsy prisoners. If nothing else, Sarah would not notice that anything was amiss.

The dark haired gypsy had climbed into the back with Sarah and her mother, to keep an eye on the maid. The old man crawled up into the driver's seat and looked down at the other two women, "Are you two riding up front with me?"

Emma looked at the queen and then back to the man, "No, I think I am going to walk for a while."

He then looked over at Regina and she said, "Yeah, me too."

He nodded popping the reigns against the horses' backs causing the wagon to lurch forward as the wheels started to roll.

Suddenly Emma felt nervous. She hadn't expected the mayor to walk with her. That could only mean that she wanted to talk. For the first few minutes they remained quiet.

"I know you are angry about the things I told you that Shaw did and said, but it really isn't a big deal Emma." She was looking down at the ground as they walked.

Emma turned, "No big deal? Regina, he beat crap out of you and locked you up."

The mayor stopped walking and grabbed the blonde's arm, "Emma, I can assure you that worse things have happened to me. What he did in comparison is mild."

The sheriff looked into the queen's eyes realizing for the first time how horrible her life had really been. Without thinking she brought her arm up gently touching the bruise of the mayor's face with the back of her fingers.

Regina's breath caught at the sheer tenderness of the action. After a few short seconds, the queen took the blondes hand in her own and moved it away from her face slowly, "Emma, I am fine." There was a soft smile on the brunette's lips.

Emma let her hand fall to her side suddenly blushing at the realization that she had touched Regina's face, "Sorry." She turned back and continued walking.

"So what exactly is the plan?" The mayor raised her arm to show the bracelet.

The blonde glanced down at the jewelry, " Can't I remove it? I mean like in StoryBrooke I could just blast it with a magic ray.." She said giving a sympathetic expression.

"No, this magic is different. I think it is gypsy magic." She paused, " I'm not going to be much help without my magic." Regina frowned.

Emma smiled, "I don't know about that. I remember a certain someone having a mean right hook."

"This is serious Emma." The brunette said stopping the younger woman from walking.

The sheriff ran her hand through her hair, "I know that. I got us into this, I will figure out a way to get us out of it."

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David had messaged Henry asking him to come and pick up the video footage of the hospital thief. Even though the case would be closed soon, his grandfather still wanted to follow protocol.

Normally, David would have called Ruby or one of the other deputies, but Ruby was working at the Diner while Granny worked on the vase and the other deputies were on call.

Henry trotted up the steps of the hospital. Thoughts of Hook had been playing on his mind ever since their talk that morning. He had become somewhat friends with the pirate, but he didn't think he was right for Emma. The teen felt bad though, having told Hook the truth about his birth mother, but someone had to tell him. The man was driving Emma crazy.

He pulled open the heavy door and walked inside. There was the aroma of cleaning supplies mixed with a light hint of muskiness from the age of the building. There was only one place that could smell that way and it was the hospital.

He turned the corner and headed straight for the surveillance room. He wondered what idiot it was that had been stealing from the medical supplies. Which he knew just meant medication was taken. He had a couple of candidates from school, both of their mother's worked as nurses here.

He opened the door to the room and to his surprise, David wasn't there. He glanced around the small space noticing a tape with a note on top.

'Henry, take this tape down to the station and put it on my desk.'

The teen folded the note and slid it into his pocket. He grabbed the tape and started out the door. As the door opened, he could see a nurse talking to Dr. Whale just to the left of the room. He quickly, but quietly closed the door only leaving it cracked so he could listen.

"Dr. Whale, the sheriff has been downstairs all morning. The mayor cannot find out that Locksley has been sneaking down there to see her sister. She will fire me or worse." The nurse said.

"Calm down. She will not fire you, besides, if the mayor doesn't find out soon, she will later and things will be even worse." Dr. Whale said. "Now go and take advantage of him being down there with surveillance and get a cup of coffee."

The nurse and doctor walked away from the door both headed in direction of the cafeteria. Henry waited a few seconds to ensure they were gone and opened the door. Stepping out into the hallway, he found curiosity was getting the better of him, so he turns in the opposite direct of the exit.

What were they talking about? Why would Robin have been paying visits to the Wicked Witch? Henry sped up his walk to the elevator. He knew once he got downstairs David would try and stop him, but he would find out the truth.

The doors opened and as if the teen had been physic, David met him.

"Hey Henry? What are you doing down here?" His grandfather asked.

"Show me the footage." Henry said eyeing his grandfather.

David's mouth fell open, but he quickly recovered, "What footage."

"Really? You're going to play dumb?" Henry asked. "Show me the footage of Robin. I want to know what he has been doing down here."

"Henry, you need to let me worry about this." David said.

The teen crossed his arms over his chest, "How long has he been cheating on my mom?"

His grandfather sighed, "Henry, it doesn't matter how long."

The teenager narrowed his eyes, "Why would he do that to her?"

Henry turned and walked back into the elevator as if he were in some sort of trance, "I'm going to find out."

Before David could object the door closed.

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The air was dry and sharp as Regina's breathing had increased. The journey on foot had been a workout and the snow that was heavily falling made it difficult to see. A storm was approaching, and the queen pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders.

She stole glances at the blonde. There was a change in roles from two days ago. Emma had whined and complained the entire walk through the woods, but today she said nothing. She didn't even seem bothered by the cold. Her hair had gotten damp from the snow, but after a few minutes it seemed as though it had frosted over. Regina had not complained out loud, nor would she, but she was on the inside.

"I think we should go ahead and set up camp, with all of this snow and wind it will take us longer and we do not want to be trying to do it in the dark." Fordel said pulling back on the reigns to stop the horses.

Regina was grateful, but didn't want to say it out loud. She was freezing and she could now longer feel her feet. If she would have had her magic, she could have dressed much more appropriately.

Esmeralda and Emma started gathering the tents from the vardo, as Fordel began uniting the horses so they could eat and have more room to move around.

"I will go and collect some fire wood." The mayor said as she started walking away from the group.

She hadn't been completely sure they even heard her because of the strong wind that blew. All she knew was that she was cold and if she didn't have her magic to create warmth, then she would have to do it the old fashion way.

She had walked for a few minute before she could see suitable pieces of wood. Regina picked up one piece at a time as she moved through the woods. Before to long, her arms were full and she needed to unload.

Turning around, Regina suddenly realized she was lost. She had no clue in which direction she had come from. The snow was falling even harder and the sky was getting darker. How could she have been so careless? Well she knew the answer to that, she was freezing.

Regina cursed herself for letting Shaw get the better of her. If she would have just left when Emma told her too she would still have her magic. She wouldn't be lost, she wouldn't be freezing and she wouldn't feel so useless.

A noise sounded from behind her and she turned hoping it was one of the members of her party. It was not, instead it was a dark grey wolf whose teeth were bared and he was snarling.

Regina's heart was now beating heavily against her rib cage. What were the odds? This was something the clumsy savior would get herself into, not the mayor. She dropped all of the firewood that she had collected except one; it was now her only weapon.

The wolf walked closer to her, his body low and ready to pounce. She found herself missing the slightly slutty waitress about now. Being a werewolf had it advantages and this was one of those times she would have like to prove her theory.

She tightened her grip on the stick. Her knuckles turned white. If that creature came closer she was going to try out her batting arm.

The wolf growled and snarled. He looked hungry or angry. The queen didn't really think either choice was important. The wolf lunged forward grabbing the stick in his mouth. Regina tried to shake him off, but the sheer power the animal possessed was no match for the brunette. He shook the stick with his head, snatching it from the mayor. She stumbled back landing in the snow.

The wolf lunged forward again. Regina knew this was it, once that animal sunk his teeth into her, she was done for, especially if he bit the same way as he had the stick. She closed her eyes putting her arms up to protect her head.

A bright white light lit up the snow and surrounding trees. A yelp came from the wolf and the queen opened her eyes. Emma had knocked the wolf unconscious and was now running towards her.

"Regina, are you okay?" She asked scanning the queen's body for any signs of injury.

Other than her pride, the queen was not injured, "I'm fine." The blonde helped her to her feet and she asked, "How did you know I needed your help?"

The sheriff shrugged, "I couldn't hear what you said when you walked away, so I came to see what you were up to?"

"Well, well, what do we have here?" A man's voice called from on top of a hill.

Regina wanted to roll her eyes at her new found luck, but she didn't. She could feel Emma's body tense as she watched the man, "Who are you?" The queen asked.

"Just a mere traveler, who is in need of some coin." He sneered.

"We have no money." Emma said. "So if you wish to rob us you will be wasting your time."

"Oh no, my lady, you have mistaken me for a thief. I plan to collect the bounty for bringing you and the queen in." He smiled. "My only dilemma is deciding if I should turn you over to the General or to the people. We can see who will pay more. What do you think fellas?"

One by one, seven other men stepped out from behind trees. Regina's heart sank, she must be cursed with the worst luck of the day.

Emma raised her hands, "Don't make me hurt you."

The man started laughing, "My Lady, do you think that we are stupid?" He yanked on what appeared to be a chain that he was holding. An old woman stumbled forward, "I had this gypsy enchant the wolf. Once you used your magic on him, it blocked you from using it again."

Emma looked at Regina with concern. The queen would just have to tell the blonde to surrender. There was no way they could fight this many men without getting seriously injured or even killed.

Emma stepped forward, "You want us, than you'll have to catch us?"

"What are you doing? We cannot out run them in this snow." Regina whispered in panic.

"Trust me; they are just as vulnerable in this weather as we are." The blonde whispered back.

The man laughed again, "You can't outrun my men. So just give up came along quietly."

Emma gently reached down and took the mayor's hand. Regina was a little alarmed, but didn't move away.

"Run!" Emma shouted as she pulled her along by her hand.

Regina could hear the men shouting from behind them as the two woman's feet crunched down into the snow. The mayor's dress had gotten damp from the snow and it made it difficult to run properly. The sun was now setting and the snow made it near impossible to see more than a few feet in front of their faces. The good news was that the men who were chasing them had the same vision.

The brunette's lungs burned as her panting pulled in the freezing air at high speeds. Her legs felt as though they would give out, but the blonde kept a tight grip on her hand. She had to push forward. There was no way she could fail any further in front of this woman.

Suddenly the blonde came to a screeching halt, causing the mayor to bump into her, "It's a dead end." She panted.

Regina squinted her eyes to see through the snow flurry, a cliff. It was a good twenty feet down to the raging river below. The queen's chest was rising and falling at an alarming rate.

"It's the end of the line. Why don't you two Ladies come along quietly?" The man said with a grin from behind them.

The queen knew that if she went with them, she would surely die, but she could beg them to spare the sheriff's life. Someone had to make it home to Henry. He couldn't lose both of his mothers. Nor did the brunette wish for anything to happen to Emma, the thought alone made her want to cry.

"Do you trust me?" The blonde whispered into the queen's ear.

Regina looked into her eyes confused, but answered, "Yes."

"Then Jump!" Emma shouted as she pulled the mayor over the cliff with her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Readers: I hope everyone's holiday was safe and enjoyable. Thank you for all of the reviews and kind words. I hope you all continue to enjoy the story. :)**

 **Chapter9**

Henry sat letting his feet dangle off of the park's play house. It wasn't the same as the old one he and Emma used meet up at, but it served its purpose. His adoptive mother said that she had it demolished for safety concerns, but he knew it was because she had been jealous of Emma. It was all pretty funny now, thinking back on it. Henry had told Emma months ago that she needed to tell his mom about her feelings, but she was in denial. She had also told him she didn't want to do anything that could mess up the mayor's happiness.

He laughed to himself. All of this time, Robin had been cheating with Zelena. He planned to confront the man, but he needed some time to think. He should have pushed harder with Emma to tell his adoptive mother her feeling, but at the time, he understood why the blonde didn't.

The teen had his jacket buttoned all the way up to his neck, his cheeks bright red from the cold and the wind caused him to shrink his neck down in hope of protecting the delicate skin. He had no idea how long he had been out here, but the sun was fading fast and the snow had not let up.

"A bit cold to be sitting in the open, don't you think mate?" Henry glanced over to see Hook had walked up.

Henry sighed to himself. He couldn't deal with a broken hearted pirate right now; he had his own problems, "Hey Killian."

The pirate scaled up to the playhouse and plopped down mimicking the way Henry was sitting, "David told me about Robin." He said staring out into the snow fall.

Henry looked up at the man, and then back down, "Yeah, it's pretty messed up."

"Aye." Hook agreed.

"How could he do that to her?" The boy didn't mean to confide in the pirate, but who else could he talk to?

"Robin tries hard to live with integrity, honor and all of the other hero like qualities. He has spent so much time convincing himself and other's that he steals from the rich to give to the poor. The sad truth is that at the end of the day, he is still just a thief." Hook said with sadness in his eyes.

Henry was surprised at the response. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but he knew that this philosophical outlook wasn't it.

"Are you trying to say that a man is only a man?" Henry asked.

Hook laughed, "Something like that mate."

The teen narrowed his eyes, "I would never do that, so if that is what 'men' are supposed to do, then the world can forget about it from me."

"No mate, that's not what men are supposed to do. I only meant that men are human, and humans make mistakes. I would never do that to Emma either." He frowned.

Henry sighed, "I know you love Emma." He wanted to get this out before the pirate tried to convince him to talk to Emma about getting back with him, "Emma is in love with my mom, and in turn my mom is in love with a cheating thief, if you are wanting me to talk to Emma, it won't do any good."

Hook glanced down at the boy then back out into the distance, "I don't want you to talk to her about us." He pulled his lapel up as a wind blocker, "I just want her to be happy, and if it is with the Evil queen, then so be it. I just don't want to see her get hurt."

Henry stared at the man for a moment. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. This is the same pirate that followed Emma around like a lost puppy, "So why are you saying this?"

Killian stood up, brushing snow from his pants, "I love your mum with all my heart, and I can't make her love me, but for the last few months there has been an undeniableable sadness in her and I can't bare it any longer, if it is not me she wishes to be with, then I will help her get the one she wants. It hurts me more to see her unhappy."

Henry widened his eyes, "Wow. That is some pretty intense stuff."

"Yeah well, you tell anyone I say it and I'll deny it. And besides, not even the Regina deserves to be treated the way Robin has treated her." He paused for a second and then asked, "Why do you and I start our own operation mate?" The pirate said with a hint of a smile.

Henry eyed the man, "What kind of operation?"

"Emma deserves to be happy, and she promised the queen that she would help her find her happiness." He said.

"But Emma did find mom's happiness, he just doesn't deserve her." Henry huffed.

Hook laughed, "I mean for them to find their happiness together."

The boy raised an eyebrow, "What? Why would you do that if you love her?"

"It is because I love her I want to do this." Killian said standing.

"What are we going to call the operation?" Henry asked with a smile.

The pirate smiled, "Why operation SwanQueen of course." He said. "Now let's get over to the Granny's, your grandparent's are waiting for you.

SQSQSQSQSQSQ

The fall into the river was instantly breath taking. The water was so cold; Emma wanted to take a breath in. Hypothermia wouldn't take long to set in, so they needed to move fast.

The blonde fought to get her head to the surface. The force of their bodies hitting the water made her lose her grip on Regina's hand.

As her head emerged from the rough moving water, she took a deep breath. The air stung her lungs and nose and her body seemed to be going numb.

"Regina!" She screamed as her body was being forced down the rapids. She looked from side to side, but was having a hard time seeing through the sloshing water, falling snow and now darkness that surrounded her.

The current was strong and the force of the rapids moved her quicker than she could scan her surroundings. The leather pants she was wearing moved better than she had thought once they were wet, but the cloak was weighing her down. She reached up with one hand to try and unclasp the brooch, while treading water with the other. Several times she went under as the cloak would catch on rocks or passing sticks and twigs.

After several attempts, her frozen fingers were able to unlatch the clasp. The water swallowed the cloak away, making it easier to stay afloat.

"Regina!" She screamed out again.

The current was starting to slow down and off to the blonde's far right she could see a dark form. It looked human, but then again it was hard to make out anything in her current situation. She fought the still strong current and made her way closer. The form seemed to be stationary, like maybe holding onto something.

Emma fought harder to swim against the current, as she reached the dark form she was certain it was Regina. She wasn't moving and her head kept going under the water. The blonde grabbed the other woman and realized her cloak had gotten caught on a limb that was half sticking up out of the water.

Taking the limb under her arm, her other hand unfastened the brooch from around the queens neck. The cloak seemed to melt away as the water took it. With the same arm she wrapped it around the brunette's unconscious body and slowly started using the limb to pull them to the edge of the shore.

Emma's knees hit the sandy river bottom alerting her that she was out of the current. With all of her might, she pulled the mayor up onto the shore line and out of the water.

"Come Regina." She said as she leaned down to put her ear near the brunettes lips to find any sign of life. She couldn't tell so she moved her ear down to the other woman's chest for hopes of hearing a heartbeat.

She could hear the faint drumming of Regina's heart, but she wasn't breathing. Emma quickly tilted the other woman's head back. She pinched off her nose and started blowing breaths into the other woman's mouth.

"Breathe damn it." The blonde panted.

She leaned over the other woman blowing more breaths into her mouth. Suddenly the mayor coughed, and the sheriff rolled her onto her said as fast as she could, letting the other woman get out the rest of the water she had breathed in.

Emma let out a breath of relief, "Oh thank the Gods."

The blonde stood up looking around. She had no clue as to where they were, but she knew they needed to find shelter and warmth fast, if they didn't get out of those wet clothes, hypothermia would set in. She was fighting to not shake, but she could hear the queen's teeth chatter together even from where she stood.

"Come on Regina, we have to keep moving until we can find shelter." Emma said leaning down and taking the other woman's arm.

"I'm so tired Emma, can't we just rest?" The other woman asked sleepily.

"No, we have to move. You have to stay awake." The sheriff pulled harder as she helped the mayor to her feet.

Glancing around, Emma spotted a small light in the distance and could smell smoke. That was the direction they were going to head, and Emma could only hope that what they found was friend and not foe.

"I don't know how far I can go, I'm just so sleepy Emma." Regina said in an almost whisper.

"I know. We're not going far, you just have to stay awake for a little longer." The blonde hoped that was true, but she knew she would do whatever was possible to keep the mayor safe.

SQSQSQSQSQ

David tried to calm his pacing wife. She had done nothing but worry since she found out Henry had run off into the weather. Hook had convinced them to let him go and find the boy, so now it was just a waiting game.

"Can I get you some more tea Mary Margret?" Ruby asked.

"No, thank you. I think I need to lie off of the caffeine for a while." She smiled up at the waitress.

"What about you, more coffee?" Ruby asked David.

"Sure." He gave a tight lipped smile as he passed the cup.

The bell over the door jingled, catching his attention. Killian walked in followed by Henry. David was a little surprised that the pirate had been able to persuade the boy to come, but he was glad he did.

Mary Margret literally leaped out of her chair and grabbed the boy in a suffocating hug, "Henry, we were so worried about you." She pulled back looking at the teen, "You are freezing."

"I'm fine Grandma. I just needed to think somethings through." He said pulling away from her gently.

She released him looking up at the pirate skeptically, but then looked back to Henry, "All right, then shall we order our diner now?"

"I catch you later mate." Hook said as he started to turn and leave.

"Why don't you join us?" The teen smiled padding the seat next to him.

"I don't know about that, mate, besides I don't want to intrude on your family's meal." He said.

David smiled, he knew they must have had a heart to heart, because Henry had seemed like the pirate was getting on his nerves lately too, "Don't be ridicules Killian, sit and join us."

The pirate smiled and pulled out the chair as Ruby walked up with David's coffee and a hot chocolate for Henry, "What can I get you to drink Killian?"

"I'll have the same as Henry here, if you don't mind love." The man said and winked at the teen.

Ruby nodded with a smile and then asked looking around the table, "Is everyone going to have their usual's?"

Everyone nodded and the waitress hurried off to complete their orders.

"So, Henry, did you go and see Robin?" David asked looking down into his black coffee.

"Not yet." Henry said without hesitation.

Mary Margret looked over at the cooing baby in the highchair and then back at Henry, "Maybe you should let the adults handle their own problems Henry. I mean, what do you plan to accomplish?"

Henry looked up at her puzzled, "You think what he has been doing is all right?"

"No, of course not. I just meant that this your mother's battle, not yours." She smiled at him softly.

He narrowed his eye brows, "That's where you are wrong."

David looked up from his coffee at the teen's tone. It wasn't mean, or disrespectful, but it was dead serious as he continued, "I made a promise to my mom to help her find her happy ending. Robin has only proven he is not it. Killian is going to help me find it."

David and his wife looked at the pirate with skepticism, "Is that so? And what is in it for you Killian Jones? To find someone else so that Emma will come running back into your arms."

Hook glared, "No it's not that at all."

Henry scowled, "He is going to help me get Emma and my mom together?"

Both grandparents' expressions turned to ones of surprise. David tilted his head, "Really?"

Killian looked down at his cocoa, "Look, I know it sounds fishy, especially coming from me, but it's true. I have been in denial a long time about Emma's feelings for the queen. There were many signs along the way that we were all oblivious to even back in Neverland."

David leaned forward in his chair, "What do you mean, 'in Neverland'?"

"I spent most of our time there trying to win Emma from Neal." He looked sympathetically at Henry and then back to David, "She was competing to capture the attention of the queen, not us." He chuckled, "Man, looking back at it now, we were so blind. Once I did think I had won the Savior over, all she ever did was talk about Regina. There was always some reason for her to deny me a date, rather it was because she had plans with Regina and Henry or she had to take paperwork over to the town hall."

David stared with his jaw slightly opened. The pirate was right; his daughter had always had a soft spot for the mayor. She and everyone else had used the excuse that it was for Henry, but he now realized it wasn't. What else had he been oblivious to in his life?

"So just like that? You want to help to get Emma and Regina together?" Mary Margret asked.

"If that is what make Emma happy, then yes." He said looking back into the short haired brunette's eyes.

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

Regina leaned against a broken wagon as she waited for Emma. They had arrived at the light the blonde had seen and stumbled across a cabin. Emma was going to ask for a place to stay, so that they could get warm.

Emma tapped on the small wooden door and shivered as she waited. It wasn't long and an old woman opened the door, "Yes?"

"I'm sorry to bother ma'am, but my friend and I fell into the river and with all of the snow are a bit lost, is there any way I can bother you for a place to stay for the night?" Emma asked with her head held down.

The old woman looked at her for a moment and then stepped out of the doorway to look over at Regina whose teeth were chattering vividly.

"Well, I can let you stay in the barn for the night. There are spare blankets and iron forge is still hot from Jacob's earlier work." The old woman bit her lip, "I'll bring some food over for you in a bit."

Emma smiled, "Thank you ma'am, you are very kind."

The woman shut the door as Emma motioned for the queen to follow her to the barn. It wasn't the biggest barn she had ever seen, but it would do.

The blonde lifted the barn latch and pulled open the large door. The warmth from inside caused the brunette to shiver again. She couldn't believe how things were going. She was shocked they were even still alive.

The barn was used more for a blacksmith workshop, but there was hay everywhere, just no animals. The sheriff grabbed a couple of large blankets off of a wall brace. She laid one down near the warm forge and then dropped the other on top.

"We have to take off our clothes." Emma said facing the mayor.

"W-what?" The brunette was still shaking.

"We have to get out of the wet clothes fast." Emma said as she started unfastening her tunic.

Regina didn't say anything; she was in a small amount of trouble. Had she had magic, she could make the dress disappear, hell if she had magic they wouldn't be in this situation. The fact remained that she couldn't take her own dress off.

She turned to the blonde; her breath caught as the blonde removed her tunic leaving the very thin and wet linen shirt that clung tightly against her to expose the other woman's breast. She spun around, her cheek red with embarrassment.

"We don't have time to be modest Regina." The blonde said as she walked closer to Regina.

The queen did not have to ask for assistance because the sheriff was making fast work of the buttons on the back of her dress. Before the brunette could register all of her situation, Emma yanked the outer dress material down to the other woman's ankles.

The blonde was a bit rough as she tried to hurry. Regina was about to start unlacing the corset, but the sheriff had spun her around jerking the laces loose. The brunette closed her eyes, she was freezing, hungry and sleepy, but now she was nervous and she didn't think she had ever felt so vulnerable in her life.

Suddenly the corset fell to the floor leaving the queen in a wet see through gown. The blonde reached down and pulled the soaked garment up and over Regina's head. The brunette now stood completely naked, but to her surprise the blonde didn't seem to notice, instead she was set on pulling her own clothes off.

Regina did realize that even though she had no clothes on that she was warming up since she shed her wet ones. She went over to the pallet that Emma had made and climbed beneath the covers, her teeth were still chattering.

The blonde had removed her clothing so quickly that Regina hadn't noticed, until she was climbing under the covers with her. Emma's naked body slid up against the brunettes, a moan almost escaped her lips at the contact, but she was able to control it.

Emma pressed her body up against the brunettes as she ran her hands up and down the other woman's arms in an attempt to create more heat. A shiver went up the brunette's spine, but it was different from the chills the cold gave her. There was a burning low in her abdomen and she kept her eyes closed.

The barn door creaked as the old woman entered, "I brought you girls some bread."

Regina blushed harder at the thought of the woman finding them naked, but to her surprise the woman acted as though it was a completely normal occurrence.

She sat the bread down on a work table not far from where the women were laying, "Make sure to keep a check on all of your toes, frost bite is a nasty pest."

"Thank you." Emma said.

The old woman smiled and walked out of the barn closing it behind her.

Regina could feel the blood circulating in different parts of her body now. The blonde's body heat was the greatest thing she had ever felt. She tried to tell herself it was only because she was literally freezing to death, but deep down she knew it was more than that.

"Are you getting warmer?" Emma asked with her breath hitting the brunette's face.

Regina opened her eyes only to see the green one's looking back at her, "Y-yes." She really hoped Emma would mistake her stutter for a chill.

The blonde sat up slowly causing the mayor to frown at the loss of contact, "Where are you going?"

Emma climbed out from under the covers and grabbed the bread from the table. Regina's breathe hitch again. This was the first time she had seen Emma naked. It was also the first time she realized how much she wanted to see Emma naked.

The blonde quickly made her way back and slipped back down under the blanket, "I thought maybe you were hungry."

Regina swallowed, "Food, yes." She rolled her eyes at her own words. The blonde had made her lose the ability to speak properly.

The sheriff broke the loaf in half and handed one piece to the other woman. Regina sat up pulling the blanket up around her chest, as the blonde sat with her breast exposed.

"How did you know what we needed to do so that we wouldn't freeze?" Regina asked in an attempt to make herself think of something else other than the beautiful naked woman beside her.

Emma chewed a mouthful of bread before she replied, "When I was in Minnesota, the foster family I stayed with liked to camp and canoe a lot in the winter. We had family safety meeting before every trip."

Regina nodded. She had never heard that story before. Come to think about it, didn't know much of the younger woman's childhood. All she knew is that it was her fault she didn't grow up with her family.

Emma looked over at Regina, "No one ever taught you winter survival living here?"

The brunette shook her head, "No, I was raised in a more privileged setting."

The sheriff smiled, "Just because you were brought up spoiled doesn't mean you can't learn survive. You know, worst case scenarios?"

Regina felt embarrassed, "My mother didn't think it was something a royal woman should learn. We had guards that were equipped with the knowledge."

The brunette noted the sadness that passed Emma's face, and she wasn't sure why. The blonde didn't know that much about her childhood, and as far as Snow getting her to kill Cora, well, she was over it.

"Your mother must not have been easy to live with." Emma said as she finished her bread and slipped back down under the covers lying on her back.

The brunette looked down at the other woman as she still clutched the blanket over her chest with one hand, "No, she wasn't. However, I am sure I was not the best child either."

Green eyes bore into, "Don't make excuses for her Regina. Henry has misbehaved on multiple occasions and you would never treat him how your mother treated you."

The queen knew this to be true, but it was different coming from someone else. It made it even more real. A tear threatened to show itself, "No I would never harm Henry. I love him too much."

"We have more in common than I had first thought. We were both unloved orphans." The blonde said.

The tear slipped down the brunette's cheek. She caused Emma's heart ache, for her own selfish reasons. The saddest part was, Regina had a mother growing up, but might as well have been an orphan.

Emma noticed the tear and quickly sat up, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." She reached over and wiped the tear away.

Regina closed her eyes at the gently contact, "I'm sorry you were an orphan."

The blonde was staring at the older woman when Regina opened her eyes. She smiled, "Don't be. If I didn't go through all of that, we wouldn't have Henry."

The mayor was amazed by the outlook the sheriff had. She agreed with that, but she would never have assumed the other woman did too.

Regina finished her bread and slid further down into the covers. She was still very tired, but not like she had been when she was cold. She gazed up at the barn rafter as chill ran through causing her to shudder and goose bumps to cover her skin.

"Are you still cold?" Emma asked.

"A little, but I am much warmer than before." She smiled looking over at the sheriff.

Emma turned on her side wrapping her arms around the mayor. A small gasp passed her lips as she felt the small tuft of hair from between the blonde's legs rub slightly against her hip.

The blonde raised her head in worry, "Did I hurt you?"

Regina closed her eyes so that Emma could not see any unwanted emotion, "No, you're fine." If the blonde wanted her as much as she let on, then how was she able to stay so damned calm while being naked together? Just feeling the sheriff against her was driving her insane.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter10**

Henry stood on the sidewalk staring up at the mansion. Smoke danced out from the chimney alerting him that the archer was inside. The teen was angry at the man, but more than that, he was disappointed. He wanted Emma to be happy, he did, but at the same time he thought his adoptive mother was happy. Now thinking about it, his adoptive mother was happiest when Henry, Emma and she were together as a family.

He fidgeted with the house key inside his coat pocket. Twirling the key ring slowly around his finger, he walked up to the door. Before he could pull the key out and put it in the lock, the door opened.

"Henry, you're home early." Robin smiled from behind the open door.

The teen walked passed the man and into the kitchen. He had left the loft before his grandparents had awaked, and didn't eat for fear of waking them. Robin on the other hand had bacon frying in the skillet.

"Are you hungry?" The man asked walking back to the stove to flip the strips of meat. "Roland is still asleep so I figured I would go ahead and cook."

"Sure." Henry said trying to keep his voice neutral.

He watched as the man pulled the carton of eggs from the fridge. He cooks very different from his adoptive mother. She was a bit more healthy when cooking, Robin, not so much. After the meat was finished, he divided it up on three different plates. He then took and cracked the eggs over the same grease filled skillet. His mother would have been in an up roar had she seen this, however Henry liked it.

As the man cooked the eggs, Henry couldn't help but think how heart broken his mother had been when Emma had brought Marion back, and when he walked across the town line with the intent to never come back so he could save his wife.

Robin turned from the stove with two plates in his hand and set them down on the island, "I'll let Roland sleep a bit longer, and then I'll wake him to eat."

The teen watched the man's smile. He felt as if Robin had been lying to him even about their friendship. He couldn't stand it any longer, "You're going to tell my mom when she gets back, right?"

The archer looked up in confusion, "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

"About Zelena." He said watching the man's face.

Robin's face turned a little white as he avoided eye contact with Henry, "What about Zelena?"

Henry narrowed his eyes, "Don't do that. I know your lying, I saw the video footage."

Robin gave a quick glance at the teen, but then looked down at his plate, "Oh, right, cameras."

Henry wanted to laugh at the man's realization. He was glad the man didn't know many of these world's marvels, well when it came to technology. The boy knew Robin would continue to lie for as long as he possibly could. Honorable, his ass.

Henry was hungry, but he pushed his plate away to concentrate on the man in front of him, "Look, I'm not judging you because you love someone else, although Zelena is an odd choice; however, you have been lying to my mom ever since you came back, and it's not fair to her." Henry explained.

"Who all knows?" Robin asked putting down his fork.

Henry sighed, "Grandpa, Hook and me."

Robin swallowed at this new found knowledge, "I don't want to hurt Regina. I don't know what happened between Zelena and me, but I know I love her and I want this baby with her." He said pushing his own plate away.

Henry rubbed his forehead, "Then why didn't you tell my mom this? My mom is the strongest person I have ever known, but when it comes to her heart, she is the most delicate, and when my mother feels weak, she gets angry, yada, yada… You know the rest."

Robin ran his hand through his cropped hair, "I know that, but she has Emma now, she doesn't need me."

Henry glared, "Are you stupid, or something? Emma gave up her own happiness to make sure my mom had hers. That was you man." Henry stood up, "People keep trying to hide things from me because they think I am too young to understand, but you know what, its people like you who need to grow up." The teen started for the door then turned around, "You are going to tell my mom when she gets home, or I will."

SQSQSQSQSQSQ

Emma's eyes shot open and she gasped when she felt the warm leg slide up between her thighs. She looked around forgetting where she was for a moment, but a quiet moan made her look down at the silky brunette hair that fanned out over her chest, and her memory quickly returned.

Regina's naked body was half on top of her, as the blonde lay on her back. The other woman was clearly still asleep, but must be dreaming. Her knee had slid in between the other woman's thighs, resting firmly against the sheriff's center.

The blonde bit down on her bottom lip, she had fought all night to keep her hands to herself. She had to focus all of her energy on trying to get them warm, when all she wanted was to admire the woman of her dreams naked. It had been one of the hardest things she thinks she ever had to do.

A soft, warm hand slowly crept up her rib cage and gently cupped her breast. Emma's mouth went dry at the action. She had only dreamed about being naked with Regina, now she was, but not in the instance she would have liked.

How far could this go? The woman would wake up soon, and… Maybe it was not a good idea for the brunette to wake groping the blonde. She was probably dreaming of her Forest boy, and if she woke up knowing she had somewhat molested the younger woman, she would be horrified.

"Emma." The brunette called softly in her sleep.

The sultry voice of the mayor made the blonde's core throb. Emma must be dreaming herself, because she just heard the mayor call her name. Emma closed her eyes taking in a shaky breath, she needed to wake the other woman before things went too far and the older woman would blame her.

Without warning, the hand that had been on her breast quickly moved down and between the blonde's legs, cupping her sex. Emma gasped loudly, and moved the other woman's hand, "Regina." She said hoping the woman wouldn't be hard to wake.

The brunette shifted her body slightly, her head moved just enough that her breath was now on Emma skin. A shiver ran up the sheriff's spine.

"Regina, we need to get up." Emma tried again.

The mayor's knee moved back up between the other woman's thighs, reclaiming it former position. A soft moan escaped Emma's lips at the contact. This was driving the sheriff crazy. She wanted nothing more at this moment than to make love to the beautiful creature beside her, but knew that was not going to happen.

The blonde gently shook the mayor, "Regina, please wake up." Her voice sounded weak, even to her.

The brunette lifted her head from Emma's chest and looked around almost in confusion. She glanced down noticing Emma and then seeming to notice their position causing her breath hitch.

"Sorry." She said pulling away slowly.

Emma closed her eyes as the knee was removed from between her legs. Her cheek reddened at the thought of Regina realizing there was wetness now on the other woman's knee.

The mayor rolled her body back to her side of the pallet without another word. The wetness didn't seem to go noticed, and the blonde let out a quiet breath of relief. She would have been mortified if the other woman had known it was there.

The barn doors creaked open and Emma looked over to see the old woman entering carrying a load of clothing over one arm and food in the other, "You ladies need to get moving. Jacob heard horses headed this way on his morning hunt." She tossed the clothing down to the women, "Here are some dry clothes." She looked at Regina, "These should be more suitable for the forest your highness, because those fancy things you were wearing are going to get you killed."

Both younger women gasped. They didn't know that the woman had recognized the queen. Emma glanced over at the brunette who looked as though panic was setting in.

"Calm yourself. What you did in the past is on you, not me. I mean you no harm. I brought you two some bread and dried meat for your journey, but you must leave as soon as possible." The old woman said turning to leave.

"Thank you for your kindness." Regina called after her.

The old woman turned and winked at the brunette before closing the barn door behind her.

Emma climbed out from under the covers and stood. She began picking through the clothes.

"Which would you prefer to wear?" She asked holding up a pair of soft hide pants and a pair of shiny leather pants.

The blonde looked down at the other woman when she didn't answer. She suddenly realized that Regina was affected by her nudity. She hadn't worried about being modest, because she felt the other woman wasn't interested, but after seeing the deer in the headlight look, she pulled the clothes closer in an attempt to cover herself, "Sorry about that."

The mayor closed her mouth averting her eyes up to the blonde's face, "The shiny ones, I guess."

The sheriff tossed the pants to the other woman. The shirts were nearly identical; they were white loose fitting linen, so fussing over which to wear was not necessary.

Emma started pulling on the pants as she watched the older woman stand. She was incredible. Her olive skin seemed to glow in the poorly lit barn. For a moment the blonde forgot what she was doing. She licked her lips and swallowed, oh what she would give to...

"Miss. Swan, we are in a hurry, remember?" Regina said as she tightens the lace up fly of the pants.

Emma shook her head, "Right, sorry." She turned her back to the other woman as she finished fastening her pants and then she quickly pulled the linen shirt over her head. She closed her eyes; there was no way she could stay when they returned to Storybrooke. The more time she spent with the queen, the more she was afraid she couldn't live without her.

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David had gotten the same phone call as Mr. Gold. Belle and Mary Margret had found something. Granny was nearly finished completing the vase and now David was waiting for his wife at the pawn shop.

The two women all but ran in. Belle looked at her husband, "You were right about the vase being a portal key."

Snow step forward with an opened book and placed it on the counter, "It was used for Gods and Demi Gods to travel from Atlantis to other worlds."

"The only thing we are missing once Granny finishes the vase is the spell." Bell said.

Gold was looking down at the book, "What spell?"

Mary Margret leaned forward turning the page and pointing to a picture of a book, "We can't find the spell, but it would appear we need a book that has this emblem on it."

David watched from over his wife's shoulder, "Where do we find a book like that? It could be anywhere."

A large smile crossed the imp's face, "This book is here in StoryBrook."

David narrowed his eyebrows, "How do you know?"

The Dark one's eyes seemed to gleam in the light, "Because that is Cora's book. I gave it to her."

David's mouth fell open. "Okay, so where is it now?" Snow asked.

"I'm not completely sure, but I do know Regina has it." Rumple said.

The prince sighed, "Well great. That means it could be anywhere."

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Henry banged on the cabin door loudly. Muffled mumbling could be heard from behind the door as he waited for someone to open it.

The narrow wooden door was jerked open, "Bloody hell! Do you know what time it is?"

Henry could smell the rum on the pirate, and knew what he had been doing the night before, "It's six thirty."

The teen shifted in his stance causing the light he had been hiding with his shoulder to shine in Hooks face, "Ahh mate, come back later, had a bit of a long night." He used his arm to shield the light from his eyes.

"I need to talk to you Killian." Henry said.

The man knew he couldn't win so he steps to the side to let the boy pass. Henry watched as Hook walked over to the small table and picked up a dark colored bottle, placed it to his lips and turned it up throwing his head back. Slowly he brought his head forward removing the bottle from his mouth with a disappointed look. The bottle was empty so he slammed it down on the table.

Henry shook his head, "And here I thought you would be an emotional wreck."

Hook raised an eye brow at the boys sarcasm, "I said I would help Emma get her happy ending, I didn't say I liked it."

"Fair enough." Henry said pulling out a chair and sitting down.

The pirate mimicked the teen and sat down, "So what was so important that it had to be said at six bloody thirty in the morning." He gave a slight smile, but it was more to hide his annoyance, which he failed at.

"I told Robin that we knew about him and Zelena, and I asked him if he was going to tell my mom." Henry said looking at the pirate.

Hook scratched is unshaven chin, "I see, and what did he have to say?"

The teen shrugged, "I don't think he planned to tell her. I don't know what he thought was going to happen when the baby was born. Maybe he planned to break her out and run off with her."

"Well, he definitely had some sort of plan, or he wouldn't continue to see the woman behind the mayors back." The pirate said looking off into space. "He was bond to get caught sooner or later."

Henry looked up at the pirate, "Did you know about this?"

Killian leaned forward in his chair, "Well, at first I wasn't sure."

"How long Killian?" The teen asked.

"I didn't know that's what he was doing in the beginning." Killian tried to explain.

Henry stood up placing his hands on the table, "How long did you know Robin was cheating on my mom." Henry's voice was icy.

The pirate adjusted his jaw, "A couple of months."

"Are you serious?" Henry shouted. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Come on lad, it wasn't my business to get involved in." Killian said with a soft smile.

Henry looked at the man with disgust, "I can't believe Emma ever liked you to begin with. You are a selfish coward and are no better than Gold himself."

Killian stood, "Hey now, that's not fair!"

Henry turned jerking the door open and running up the stairs, leaving the pirate with his own thoughts.

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The old woman had left the two women with fresh boots and a horse. The only problem was that there was only one horse and Emma didn't know how to ride, so naturally Regina took the reins.

For the first couple of miles she cursed the fact that Emma was behind her. The blonde's hands rested on the brunette's waist, and every time the horse would trot or hit a dip, she could feel the sheriff's crotch and breast rubbing against her back. She realized that the situation would be far worse for her had she been sitting in reversed positions.

A chill ran up her spin at the memory of this morning. She had been having a very intimate dream involving the other woman, and when she woke up; her knee was in between the blonde's legs. The strangest part was when she moved her knee; she had felt the sheriff's arousal covering it. Her stomach flutter and heat rushed to her core, she shiver at the thought.

Emma leaned in pressing her full front into the mayor, "Are you alright?"

Regina swallowed and then answered, "Yes, why do you ask?"

"I felt you shiver and thought maybe you were cold." The blonde said.

The queen was far from cold, "No I'm fine, just a slight cold chill, but it's gone now."

Regina felt a little exposed. She had been wearing a corset since they got here and now, she wore no bra. The linen shirt was so thin that she almost felt like she wasn't wearing it. Luckily the old woman had not only given them cloaks, but also fur tunics, which was a huge relief.

Regina realized the blonde was still leaning into her. She could swear she could still feel the other woman's body beneath her. It was so smooth and firm. It was very warm and smooth, like nothing she had ever imagined.

Emma leaned back and asked, "Can I ask you a personal question?"

Regina had no idea what the blonde would want to know, probably something about her mother, "Sure."

"Have you ever been with a woman?" Emma's words were loud in her head.

The queen was not expecting that question, "Why do you wish to know?"

Emma laughed, "I was just curious, but you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I didn't mean to ask something that intimate."

Regina considered for a moment on telling the blonde it was none of her business, but her mouth had other plans, "No, I have not." She rolled her eyes at herself.

She could hear the nervousness in the blonde's voice, "Have you ever thought about it?"

Regina kept telling herself this was not a good conversation for her and the sheriff to be having given the past events, but something kept making her talk, "Umm, I guess." She felt a little awkward so she replayed the question on Emma, "Have you ever been with a woman?"

"Yeah, a few." Emma said without hesitation.

Regina felt a little burn of jealousy at knowing there had been other women who have enjoyed the blonde's nakedness in all its glory, "I see."

She felt the blonde stiffen slightly, "I know that tone, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." She said. She couldn't let on that she didn't like the answer to the question, however see felt compelled to know more, "How many women have there been?" She flinched, waiting for the response.

Emma repositioned herself in the saddle behind the brunette, her hands still firmly attached to the mayor's hips, "Oh no, we are not playing a number game. I know how those go. Those are answers we will never get out of our heads. Let's just say, when I was younger I only dated women."

Regina was a little confused, "Then why were you with Neal and then that guy in New York and then Hook?"

"I thought I found someone special with Neal. All of the women I had dated were older and they all seemed to just want to play, when they were bored they would toss me to the side. I thought for the longest time maybe I was just trying to convince myself that I was gay, so I started dating guys." Emma tried to explain.

Regina nodded an understanding. Before she could ask another question the blonde asked, "How come you've never slept with a woman before?"

The mayor had never been asked that so she had to think about it for a second, "Well I guess none of them caught my attention, nor did I catch theirs, men on the other hand were at my beckon call."

"Oh." The blonde replied. For a second the queen thought the conversation was over, but then the blonde asked, "What made you fall for Robin?"

The mayor blinked, opening and closing her mouth as she thought of the answer, "Well Tinker Belle said that my soul mate had a lion tattoo and she lead me to him. Unfortunately the first time I chickened out and refused to go and meet him. Tinker Belle got into trouble and lost her wings, and I went onto become an even better Evil queen."

"You're telling me that you fell for Robin because a fairy told you too?" Emma asked in a perplexed tone.

"Well, no, I mean yes. When the second curse brought us back here, he was there. He was kind, gentle, and he seemed to want me." She stopped at her own words. The blonde must have thought that was pathetic.

There was a silence and then the brunette heard the blonde take a breath, "Are you happy? I mean with your life back in Storybrooke?"

She knew where this was heading, "Emma, don't do this." She had been so confused about everything after their first kiss and the longer they were here the more confused she became.

"Don't do what? Ask a friend a simple question?" Emma asked.

"It's not a simple question, it's complicated." The queen blurted out raising her voice.

The mayor felt Emma stiffen behind her. She closed her eyes, why had she said that. She should have just said she loved Robin. She did love Robin, right?

A strong pungent odor wafted under the queen's nose and before she could register the horse neighed, stopping in its tracks.

"Oh no." Regina said.

"What is it?" Emma asked.

"There is an ogre somewhere." Regina whispered.

"Oh man, we had to deal with one on my first visit here." The blonde said in a low voice.

Regina turns to look at the other woman, "And did you defeat it?"

Emma smiled sheepishly, "My mom shot it in the eye with an arrow."

"Of course she did, and we have no bow and arrow." Regina huffed.

Giant stomping sounds were drawing closer and the tree in the distance shook. Regina turned the horse kicking in in the sides with the heels of her feet, " Hey yaa!" The queen shouted. The horse bolted forward kicking up snow as he increased his speed.

SQSQSQSQSQ

Mary Margret sat quietly in a corner booth at the diner. She had reluctantly taken Ashley up on her offer for watching Neal for a few hours. She had to admit it was kind of nice to get away from him for a little while. Most mother's would probably feel guilty at thoughts like that, but then again those mother's had not been awake for the last three days with a teething baby. Luckily for Ashley, the tooth must have broken through last night, because there was a new shinny white one right in the front bottom of the child's mouth.

She sipped her tea reading the latest Harlequin novel she had found at Belle's library. She would have thought she were above those slightly smutty books, but then when she actually read one, it was like a drug. David had not complained about her newly refueled sex drive, so she didn't see the harm.

The bell over the door jingled and she looked up from her book. Henry walked in with a scowl on his face. She lowered her book as she waved him over. She noticed his features softened some, but she knew something was wrong.

He walked over to her table, "Hey Grandma, I didn't think you would be here, where's Neal?"

"Ashley is watching him for me, so I thought I'd come and have lunch. Would you like to join me?" She asked sticking her bookmark in between the pages she was reading and closed the book.

The teen looked like he was going to decline, but after a short hesitation, slid into the booth opposite his grandmother, "Sure."

"What are you reading?" He asked glancing over at the book.

Pink heated the short haired woman's cheeks, "Oh, that? Just a book." She said picking it up off the table and sliding it into her purse.

"Jake said his mom reads those books because there is sex in them." Henry said without an expression.

"Oh, really. I must not have gotten to that part yet." She said hoping she sounded innocent and then she changed the subject, "What's got you in a funk?"

The boy looked around the diner, and then back to her, "Did Grandpa tell you that Robin has been cheating on my mom?"

Mary Margret's raised her eye brows in surprise, "No. He got home late last night so we didn't really have time to talk."

"Yeah, well he is. I went and told Robin that I knew and that he needed to tell my mom. Then Hook agree to work on operation SwanQueen, but come to find out, he knew Robin has been cheating on my mom for months. That's messed up." Henry said everything very quickly and Snow was having trouble following.

She put her hands up, "Whoa, slow down. Start at the beginning."

Henry took a deep breath and then let it out slowly, "Grandpa saw Robin on video footage visiting Zelena at the hospital."

Snow smiled, "He could have just been being nice Henry, and she is pregnant with his child."

Henry rolled his eyes, "Let me finish. The footage goes back several months. So I find out and that's when Hook wants to work on the new mission. I went to see Robin this morning, and he tells me how he is in love with Zelena. I told him it wasn't fair to my mom not to tell her. Then I went to see Hook and he accidentally told me that he had known basically from the beginning that Robin was sneaking around on mom."

Mary Margret's eyes widened, but she regained her composure, "So now you're mad at Killian?"

Henry scowled, "Yes I'm mad at him."

"But Henry, it wasn't his business to get involved in." She said with a sympathetic smile.

Henry was now glaring, "Yes it was. Do you know what this could do to my mom? When she finds out that all this time, her happiness has been fake. Emma could have made a move sooner and maybe they would be together."

"Is that what this is about? You want your mothers together?" She was a little confused.

"No. This is about both of my mother's getting their happy endings. I knew before anyone that Emma was in love with my mom, but I never said anything because I thought my mom had found her happiness with Robin. Now it pisses me off that they could have been happy together from the start, but that stupid archer had to come along and do this. I haven't been able to spend time with Emma in months because she was avoiding Hook and Robin." Henry explained. "And there has been a slight sadness in my mom since Emma stopped coming around."

The woman was stunned by the maturity of her grandson's words. She had been ready to argue all of the reasons Emma and Regina didn't need to be together, but after his explanation, she couldn't think of one good reason why they couldn't.

She smiled at the teenager, "I want to be part of operation SwanQueen."

Henry looked up at the older woman, "Really?"

Snow nodded, "Yes." The smile she received from her grandson warmed her heart. Her family's safety and happiness was the most important thing in the world to her.

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Sweat droplets rolled down the sheriff's forehead. His arms felt as if they were carrying a ten ton grenade, even though it was only a two pound vase. Granny told him she would shoot him with her cross bow if he dropped it. By the crazed look in the older woman's face he believed her.

David kicked at the glass door of the pawn shop. His hands were busy trying to not drop the vase that Granny had spent two days putting back together without sleep. He was concentrating so hard on the item in his hands that he hadn't realized that Gold stood holding the door open.

"You look like a bear in the circus trying to balance on a ball." Gold said with amusement.

David let his eyes glance up at the imp, but quickly moved them back to the vase, "I don't want to drop it."

Gold crossed his arms over his chest and leaned into the door, "You only had to carry it less than a block; you act as if it could explode or something."

"Have you met my daughter? She inherited her grace from me, so I have to be extra careful." David said as another droplet of sweat dripped off his face.

The imp stood up and snatched the vase from the other man. He ran his hand over it causing it to disappear then it reappeared on the counter where it was displayed in a glass box, "If we wait any longer for you, then Henry will be married by the time his mother's return."

David huffed; this man aggravated him to no end. There was nothing he could do about it, except to do as the man said if he wanted to get his daughter back. His only saving grace was that Rumple was trying his very hardest to behave, so there had been no deal struck.

"So what now? We have the vase." David asked.

"We have the vase but no book. In order to bring them home, I need the book to find the correct spell." Gold said staring at the amazing repair Granny did on the vase. It was hard to tell it had ever been broken, unless you were right up on it, but even then there was only a small crack here and a small crack there.

"Where should we start looking?" David asked.

Rumple furrowed his brow, "Must I do everything? I thought you were a sheriff."

"I am." David said with a raised eye brow.

"Then go and investigate officer." Rumple snapped closing the door in his face.

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"I thought the ogres were extinct." Emma said over the brunette's shoulder as she struggled to stay on top of the fast moving equine.

"Apparently not dear." She heard the other woman say.

The horse was running in almost zigzag patterns to avoid all of the trees, Emma glanced behind to see how close the ogre actually was, but when she did, the horse passed under a tree with low hanging limbs. Regina was able to duck, but it smacked the blonde across the shoulder sending her flying through the air and then landing her hard on the forest floor.

"Emma!" The brunette called out as she pulled on the reigns to stop the horse.

The impact of the fall knocked the breath out of Emma. She felt a little disorientated as she slowly sat up and shook her head. The stomping made the earth shake as the creature got closer.

"Emma! Run!" Regina shouted.

Like before, the blonde found her feet rooted. She turned slowly to see the ogre coming straight for her. He skidded to a halt only a few feet from her pausing to roar. His breath was no better than the ogre's she had met previously. Her heart was pounding in her chest; her mind was racing to come up with a plan.

"Hey! Over here you over sized jock strap!" Regina yelled as she threw something hitting him in the head.

The ogre looked even angrier, if that were at all possible. He snorted, turning his attention to the brunette. She kicked the horse causing it to rear up, and then it lunged forward kicking up snow, dirt and leaves as he started running. The blonde's jaw was momentarily stuck open at the incredibly sexy queen on the noble steed in front of her.

As if he had forgotten about the sheriff, he started running after the horse. All at once the blonde snapped to. She couldn't let him go after Regina. As the ogre passed she jumped grabbing a hold of his shin brace.

Emma had no clue what kind of fur his brace was made out of, but he must have been wearing them from birth. The fur was matted with mud, blood and she was not even going to attempt to guess what else. It took all of her strength to climb to the top of the brace just below his knee.

Her mother's words kept playing in her head, 'You have to shot an ogre in the eye'. It was the only way to kill it. It sound much like if she were trying to kill a zombie. This was one of those times she felt herself missing Mary Margret, less for the motherly part and more for the bad ass with a bow part.

The vibration from the ogre's feet impacting the ground as he ran was becoming a hassle for the sheriff. Her feet were balanced on a strip of leather strap that wrapped around the brace, while she clung on with fistfuls of dirty fur.

Emma glanced up, there was no more material other than his loin cloth that she could see, but it was several feet from her. She whipped her head back to see how close the ogre was to Regina and she gasped. He was gaining on her fast. She looked around and noticed a frayed leather strap hanging down between the ogre's legs. She followed it up with her head and could see it was a strip from his loin cloth.

The strip swung back and forth with the ogre's movements. She would have to time this just right, because if she missed, not only would she hit the ground probably in a painful manner, but he would get to Regina.

Emma counted it out each time the strip swung close to her, " One…two…"

She didn't bother with three and she leaped as hard as she could. Her hands grabbed a hold of the strip as her body collided with the inner thigh of the ogre's other leg. Not much time had passed yet she was already worn out.

"Think Emma, what did you learn in gym class?" She asked herself.

She shook her head; gym class was not one of her favored classes so she seldom showed up. This was the one time she was kicking herself for not sucking it up and dealing with that bitch, Mrs. Hinckley. Her hands were starting to slip.

"That's it." She said out loud.

She quickly wrapped the leather once around her left leg and used her right to clamp down on it. This not only allowed her to use her legs to climb, but it also helped to give her arms a break. Once she got the rhythm down, she was climbing up.

As the blonde made her way up the front of the ogre's loin cloth, she realized that she had been in many compromising positions before, but this was by far the worst. She would even say she would rather be in bed with Hook rather than clinging to the urine soaked loin cloth of an unbathed ogre.

Emma reached the waist band. Looking around she wasn't sure what to do. She didn't have a proper place to put her foot, so she could reach up in an attempt to grab onto the ogre's chest strap. She glanced back down at Regina. The brunette was riding the horse as fast as she could, but the ogre's legs made too long of strides to out run him.

The smelly creature leaned down to swipe at the mayor. Emma took this as a golden opportunity. As he bent down, the straps were close enough for the blonde to grab and as he stood, she went with him.

The sheriff knew it was only a matter of time before the creature got Regina. The muscles in Emma's arms and hands were on fire. She was afraid that her body would fail her before she completed her task.

In a similar fashion as with the leather strip before, the blonde climbed the chest strap. This seemed to take longer. She decided to try another method. She pulled her feet up on either side of the leather strap and began climbing it as if it were a rope on a wall.

The ogre seemed to know she was there. He swiped his hand across his chest as if he were swatting at a bug. Emma jumped to the other strap almost losing her grip. She started climbing as fast as she could, ducking random swats from the creature.

Emma reached his shoulder. She knelt down holding the strap with one hand and trying to catch her breath. The ogre appeared to be slowing down. The blonde turned seeing Regina's horse stop abruptly throwing the older woman from the saddle. The mayor slid to a stop mere feet from the edge of a cliff.

Emma's eyes widened with fear. She had to take this monster out before he took out Regina. The ogre shook his body banging his fist against his chest. The sudden movement knocked the sheriff off of her feet. She fought to stay on the creatures shoulder, losing her balance, she fell off. On her way down, Emma quickly reached out grabbing the back of the creature's straps that went across his back stopping her fall.

The sheriff had to get to the ogre's head. Hand over hand she climbed her way back up to his shoulder. She could hear him roar at Regina, and the blonde was starting to panic.

After reaching the creature's shoulder, she could see the fear on the brunette's face. However, it looked more like concern and Emma assumed she was scared for her.

The ogre had attempted several swipes at the brunette, which she was able to dodge. Emma wasn't sure what she could do. Even if she could get up to his head, he was bald and there was no way for her to get down to his eye.

She reached into her boot and pulled out a dagger she had stuck there back at the barn. One way or another there had to be a way. The ogre reached down this time hitting the brunette causing her to fly several feet to the side and she let out a painful grunt.

The ogre went for the mayor again, and as he bent down Emma took off running as fast as she could up the back of his neck and up his head. When the creature stood Emma was standing at the top of his head. With a giant hand he swung it up in an attempt to knock the blonde off, but she ducked.

Emma looked down at brunette and clenched her teeth.

"Here goes nothing." She said as she ran towards to front of the ogre's head. The blonde fell to her hip sliding as if she were sliding for home base over the monster's forehead, grabbing a handful of eyebrow hair swinging her body down and in the direction of his eye.

Emma held the dagger tightly as the milky colored eye came closer. She closed her eyes and held the dagger out in front of her. The sound the dagger made as it penetrated its target was indescribable. It was definitely a sound all of its own.

The ogre growled out in pain. Emma plunged the dagger in further with all of her might causing blood to spray out covering the front of her shirt and her arm. The creatures stumbled forward and then backwards before falling onto his back on the snow covered ground with a loud crash.


	11. Chapter 11

**Readers: I wanted to thank everyone who is reading and who has reviewed. You all rock! I hope everyone continues to enjoy the story. These next few chapters are a bit shorter but I am trying to post one a day so it shouldn't be too bad. :)**

 **Chapter11**

David had searched through almost every inch of the former queen's vault. He knew there were many secret areas down here, but he had no clue how to open any of them or where they were. Regina usually locked everything under some kind of spell, so even if he ran across the secret place, he wouldn't know it.

He sat down on the bottom step and let out a frustrated sigh. Where else could that damned book be? The main person the queen would try and hide it from would be Rumple. Most all of her magical items were here in the vault, but if he knew that, then that means everyone else did too.

"Her house. That's where it would be." He said standing up and pulling his phone from his pocket. He dialed Henry.

"Hey Grandpa." Henry answered knowingly.

"Hey Henry, do you think you could meet me at your house?" David asked as he ascended the stone stairs.

"Sure, give me ten minutes." He said before ending the call.

Not only did the teen have the key to get into the house, but he also knew Regina better than anyone. He might know where the book would be.

SQSQSQSQSQSQ

The ground shook as the massive creature fell. She stood up searching the dead ogre for a sign of the blonde. She could hear a grunt from near the head.

"Emma!" She shouted. Regina's heart was racing for fear of the sheriff being injured.

"Yeah, I'm here." The blonde shouted back.

Emma staggered from around the shoulder of the creature. Blood covered her chest and arm, which caused the brunette's heart to sink.

She ran over to the younger woman trying to examine her, "Are you hurt?"

Emma looked down at the red liquid that her tunic and cloak were caked in and shrugged, "I'm fine, and it's not my blood."

Regina's concern was suddenly replaced with anger and she shoved the other woman, "Are you crazy or just stupid?"

Emma's eyes widened, but then her brows furrowed in confusion.

Regina didn't wait for a response, "You know what, on second thought don't answer that." See threw her hands up frantically, "You could have been killed Emma!"

"You could have been too Regina. Why did you have to shout at him and throw things?" Emma asked placing her hands on her hips.

"I was trying to save your life. He was about to crush you." Regina hissed.

Emma tilted her head, "Why?"

"Because that is what they do. They don't like humans." Regina said running her fingers through her hair.

"No, why did you try and save my life?" The blonde asked.

The mayor shot a look at the blonde, "Really? I couldn't let him squish you. How would I explain that to our son?"

She watched Emma's expression fall, "So you only did it for Henry?"

Regina was getting really tired of having to explain herself. Emotions were not her forte and talking about them were even less so, "No I did not only do it for Henry, but just so we are clear, he is the first thing I think of and always will be."

"Why else did you do it?" Emma challenged.

Regina clenched her jaw, "So I was just supposed to let you die?"

"Just answer the question." The blonde said taking a step closer to the mayor.

"What do you want me to say? I didn't want to see you die." The brunette said in a shaky voice as she noticed the blonde's closeness.

"Are you admitting that you care about me?" Emma asked in a low husky voice, her face only inches from the other woman's.

Regina swallowed and licked her lips, "I.." Her breath was shallow and she couldn't take her eyes away from Emma's lips, "don't hate you."

She watched as the corner of blonde's lip curled upwards. Her head was foggy and she felt a little light headed. She wanted to push the woman away or at least turn away from her, but she was rooted and her body refused to obey.

Regina closed her eyes in an attempt to make the blonde disappear from her thoughts. It didn't help. She could feel the blonde's breathe on her face, and her heart was beating in her ears. Her body was betraying her, because no matter how much she told herself she couldn't do this, her body wouldn't stop reacting. She could feel her arousal pool between her thighs and her nipples stiffened beneath her clothes.

"Emma…" Regina began in a weak attempt to stop this, but was stopped as soft lips pressed into hers. Again her body refused to do what her brain wanted and her lips moved in rhythm with the blonde's.

The sheriff placed her hands on the mayor's hips and pulled their bodies flush. The sensation caused the brunette to let a soft muffled moan escape her throat. This only fueled the other woman as she slid her tongue into Regina's mouth.

Regina wanted nothing more than to feel this woman's hands on her naked body. The brunette opened her eyes once she snapped too. She pulled her head back and lightly pushed the sheriff away, "No, we can't do this."

Emma looked a little confused, but managed to smile, "You want this too, I can feel it."

Regina looked into the green eyes, "It's not that simple Emma."

"What the hell Regina? I want you, and you want me, what's not simple?" Emma said in annoyance.

Tears began to well up in the brunette's eyes, "Damn you Swan! Not everything can be done on a whim, or just because that is what we want. I know that better than anyone. I gave myself to Robin and it is not fair to him for me to go behind his back for a roll in the hay with you." A tear slipped down and she turned to walk away.

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Henry opened the door for his grandfather. They both had arrived at the mansion at the same time. Normally the teen would have been at school, but he had the day off because of an in-service day.

"So what are we looking for?" Henry asked as he closed the door behind them.

David was glancing around, "Cora's spell book. It's the last piece that we need to bring your moms back."

Henry nodded his head, "Do we even know where they are yet?"

David looked up, "No, well if Gold knows he hasn't said yet. All I know is we need the book for a spell. Do you know where she might have put it?"

The boy thought for a second, "I'm not really sure. My mom is still pretty secretive about a lot of stuff, especially if it's magic stuff."

Henry led the man into his mom's study, "Most of the secretive things mom does is in here."

David looked around, and then walked over to the desk. He ran his hands over the edge as he circled it, "I know she has a secret compartment or drawer on this thing."

Henry walked behind the marble desk and pressed a button. A clicking sound was heard and a small door opened from the top. The boy looked at his grandfather and smiled.

David hurried over to look inside, the teen watched as the man frowned. He reached inside the opening and pulled out some papers and a small vial, "Damn it! Not here."

Henry plopped down in the chair and sighed. His grandfather replaced the items into the compartment and closed the lid, "There has to be somewhere else. Unless it is at her vault and I can't find it."

Henry shook his head, "No, she wouldn't keep it there."

He scratched his chin. Where else could his mom hide it? Even if they didn't find the book, they should at least find other hiding placing.

"Let's split up and search the whole house, its here somewhere." David said looking around.

Henry nodded in agreement, "Ok. You keep looking in here and I'll go to the next room."

The boy started for the family room when there was a knock at the door. He walked over and opened the door. He grimaced at who he found.

"Hey mate." Hook smiled.

"What do you want Killian?" Henry asked, rolling his eyes.

The pirate laughed, "I think you have more of the mayor's blood in you then anyone may have thought, because you do her eye roll almost better than her, mate."

Henry raised an eyebrow, "What do you want?"

Hook shifted uncomfortably on his feet, "I came by to see if you or your grandfather needed help."

Henry crossed his arms over his chest, "We don't need your help."

The boy had not noticed David come up behind him, "Henry, can I have a word with you in private please?"

Henry sighed but followed his grandfather away from the door, "We need all of the help we can get if we are going to get your moms back."

The teen glanced to the door where he could see Hook staring at him, "He's a liar. We can't trust him. He's only out for himself."

David rubbed his forehead, "Look, I know about what happen with the two of you, but we need help."

"He's a useless, greasy, makeup wearing thief, how can he help us?" Henry said in a less than quiet tone.

"I'm right here, Mate." Hook said with a surprised expression. "You are definitely the mayor's kid with those insults."

"Oh if you think that sounded like my mom then how about this? You are a worthless piece of…" Henry hissed but was cut off by his grandfather.

"Henry." David warned.

Hook stepped inside the door, "Look Mate, I know you're pissed at me, but I want Emma back", He paused and looked down, "Even if she wants to be with Regina."

He looked up meeting the boy's eyes, "I meant what I said about helping with operation SwanQueen."

Henry could see he was telling the truth, and nodded, "Okay." He looked at David, "Grandpa can fill you in on what we are looking for. I'm going to search in the family room."

SQSQSQSQSQSQ

Emma couldn't figure out if she was more upset that the queen had more will power than her, or that she insinuated that this was merely a sexual desire. She had yet to sort out every detail of her feeling towards the older woman, but she knew it was definitely more than sexual desire.

The two women had walked in silence for a while now. Emma was hoping they found another river or stream soon, because the smell of the dried blood on her tunic was making her nauseous. The blood that covered her hand felt sticky between her fingers. If she were to admit it, she would have to say she was a little disappointed that she didn't get kudos for killing the damned foul smelling beast.

"Emma I'm…" Regina began but Emma cut her off.

"Don't. It's fine, just let it go, okay?" Emma snapped.

Even the blonde was a little surprised that the mayor had actually complied. The sheriff just wanted to get back to Story Brooke, "I'll be out of your hair when we get back to Story Brooke."

She missed the expression that crossed the older woman's face, "What does that mean?"

Emma stopped walking but didn't look at Regina, "I'm leaving when we get back."

"I don't understand. That sentence doesn't make sense Emma." Regina said in confusion.

"I'm not staying when we get back. It's time for me to move on." She said as she started walking again.

Regina grabbed her arm, "What? You can't leave. What about Henry or your parents?"

Emma looked at the brown orbs that were welling up with tears, "Henry did just fine without me for ten years, and my parents did fine for twenty eight years. I was nobody when I came to Story Brooke and I'm sure everyone will forget me soon enough."

A tear rolled down the mayor's face as she clenched her jaw. Emma waited for the lecture that was sure to come, but instead, the brunette slapped the blonde hard across the face and stormed off.

"What the hell?" Emma said closing her eyes and rubbing the spot Regina had hit in hopes the sting would go away. She did not see that coming.

SQSQSQSQSQSQ

David, Henry and Killian stood at Regina's bedroom door. They had already argued about who would be going in and Hook had offered, but David and Henry both knew if the mayor found out the Captain had been rummaging through her underwear drawer there would be hell to pay. So instead they stood staring at it.

"What are you all doing?" Mary Margret's voice asked from behind them.

They all spun around, David's face flooding with relief, "Oh thank the Gods. Mary Margret we need you to search for the book in there." He said pointing to the door as if it were the dungeons of hell.

"I offered to go." Hook said with a shrug.

"Yeah, not going to happen." Henry said with a glare.

This scene only made Mary Margret want to laugh, but instead she fought to keep in under control, "Henry, why aren't you doing it?"

The teens eyes widened slightly and he shifted, "Umm, well, Jake told me that when his dad went away on trips his mom had gotten a…umm… I guess toy, and you know mom was alone for a long time."

Mary Margret raised an eyebrow, and then glared up at Hook when he chuckled. She looked back down at her grandson, "I think I need to have a talk with this Jake's mother."

She looked up at her husband who was attempting to suppress his own laugh and she shook her head, "Fine, I will go and see if I can find the book."

She opened the door and walked inside, before she closed it, she said, "You boys can go wait down stairs." She closed the door.

Henry's maturity, she gets, but as for the other two who were grown men was a bit ridiculous. However she knew Regina would not be happy at all with any of them went digging through her things. She would not be happy for Snow doing it either, but it would be worse if David or especially Hook did it.

She glanced around the room wondering where she should start. The vanity against the far wall caught her attention. She walked over to it and looked down. It was strange how much this vanity resembled the one her ex-step mother had in her childhood castle. Walking closer she let her hand mindlessly run over the smooth wood.

Mary Margret sat down in the chair. She could remember sitting in a chair just like this one as her step mother brushed the tangles out of her hair. It was her favorite memory, because it made her feel as though she had her mother again.

Her mind flashed back to when she had first met Regina. Had it not been for the older woman she was sure she would have fallen to her death from a top of that crazed horse. She smiled at the memory. Regina was so sweet and beautiful almost like her very own guardian angel.

Suddenly the image of her walking in on Regina and the stable boy flashed in her mind. She can remember how scared the mayor looked at her finding them. Regina seemed so happy when she spoke of that boy. Her eyes would lite up and there was this incredible smile that had crossed her face that was so contagious. Now that she thought about it, she had never seen that look again. Well, she did see it when they would all have dinner together.

She leaned forward running her hands carefully around the trim of the mirror. Her mind kept flashing back to her time in the castle after Regina came. Remembering back she could now see how unhappy the woman was. She wished she would have noticed then, maybe she could have changed things or something. Knowing what she knew now about Cora, it made her skin crawl. She had been manipulated by that witch.

Snow led her hand down to the vanity top and continued to feel for anything out of place. She could remember hearing sobs come from her step mother's room, when her father was away. Mary Margret had been so blind and naive as a child it made her sick.

She found herself thinking back to when Regina met Robin. She had indeed seemed much happier. She was even a tad bit nicer in general. That happiness didn't compare to the happiness she had seen as a child. Her mind drifted to the family dinners they had been having together before Robin got back. She had seen that same spark in the older woman's eye when she and Emma would laugh and talk. Snow laughed to herself. Again she had been blind, especially since she had seen that same spark in her own daughter's eye.

Mary Margret's hand had made it to the leg of the vanity. An odd carving seemed to stick out more than the others. She slid her fingers over it pressing it to the side. To the short haired brunette's surprise, there was a sliding sound and a drawer popped open under the vanity. She leaned over nearly in half, to see what as in the drawer. Sure enough, the thick leather bound book with raised gold corners, Celtic artwork and a large diamond in the middle with a heart in the center of that lay waiting. It had Cora's name written all over it, not literally of course, but she could tell it belonged to the heartless bitch.


	12. Chapter 12

**I just wanted to say thank you to everyone again. I would also like to tell you things about the story that some have been worried about happening or not happening, however that would defeat the purpose of you reading it. I can tell most of you to not worry and things will work out, but just so you know, I like hearing all of your concerns about the story, because it helps me get an idea of which direction you all would most likely enjoy seeing. I cannot make the promise that the story will always go exactly the way you want, but I will definately take things into consideration. You all rock and and I hope you continue to read! :)**

 **Chapter12**

They had been walking for hours when Regina finally heard the sound of rushing water. Her feet hurt and she was tired. She had been preoccupied with keeping her eye on the ogre that she hadn't realized that the horse had run off. To be completely honest, she was glad, because there was no way she could ride that close to the blonde right now.

How could she even consider leaving Story Brooke. It would crush Henry and her idiot parents, and the town needed their sheriff. Regina really didn't want to get stuck dealing with David all on her own. She would miss the blonde coming to the town hall to turn in her reports, she would miss seeing her face when she came to pick Henry up or to drop him off and... She would miss her.

The water wasn't far, maybe ten more yards. The sheriff had stayed several paces behind her which she was grateful for. She had fought her tears but they had come down with vengeance and the last thing she would want is for Emma to see them.

Why had the other woman tried so hard to be with her if she was only planning to leave? Unless she was only leaving because Robin. It wasn't fair of her to do this. For the first time in a long time the queen found herself wishing she had kept her heart in the vault, and then she wouldn't feel so weak when it came to this woman.

The snow had stopped hours ago and the sun was peaking out from behind a thick cloud. As she continued they passed a small group of willow trees and the water appeared. It was a very beautiful sight. The river glistened in the sun rays as the shallow parts rushed passed large rocks that protruded just breaking the waters surface.

She watched as Emma hurried passed her to the water's edge. She fell to her knee and began sloshing the icy liquid over her face and arm. Regina sat down on a fallen tree trunk, and let out a sigh of relief.

Her eyes followed the curves of the other woman as she bent over the river. Of all the things that hadn't changed in this world, they could have at least changed the fashion. Tight leather, really? It was sheer torture to see the blonde's amazingly sexy buttocks sway side to side in soft leather pants.

Regina had to avert her eyes. What the hell was she doing? She also had to remind herself that she was furious with the sheriff, so gawking at her was out of the question. How could someone be so irritating and attractive at the same time?

The queen stood walking over to the edge of the water a good distance from Emma. She knelt down and scooped some water in her hands before splashing it on her face. Her mind was racing. She didn't even know if anyone was looking for them back home. Well, maybe Henry, but the Charmings would only be searching for her because they were actually looking for their daughter.

She closed her eyes tilting her head back, she could feel a head ache coming on.

What about Robin? She wondered if he had searched for her the minute he found out she was missing. Sure he did. He was her soul mate, but if that were true then why was she feeling such an intense pull towards the blonde. Regina closed her eyes imagining herself waking up day after day to those intoxicating green eyes.

"Are you okay?" Emma's voice asked quietly from behind her.

Regina looked down at the water and could see the blonde's reflection.

"I'm fine Swan." She said in her best Mayor Mills tone.

Emma put her hand on the older woman's shoulder, "Are you sure? You look tired."

Anger returned to the mayor and she brushed the sheriff's hand away, "What do you care anyways? You'll be gone soon and won't have to worry with me at all."

She could see the hurt that crossed the younger woman's face, "Why are you doing this?"

Regina stood and turned around, "What exactly am I doing Mrs. Swan?"

"Being a bitch." Emma said in a lowered voice.

The mayor tilted her head to the side, "You basically gave me an ultimatum back there. What do you want from me?"

"That wasn't an ultimatum. I told you I am leaving when we get back to Story Brooke, you made your choice." Emma said turning to walk away.

"You only want to leave because of Robin. What do you want me to do? Am I supposed to leave Robin because the Savior wants me in her bed?" Regina's voice cracked as she fought tears.

"What the hell? I don't just want you in my bed, Regina." Emma snorted in disbelief. "I should have listened to Henry. Look I'm sorry that you thought I only wanted one thing from you." Emma started to walk away again.

Regina was more confused now, "What do you mean you should have listened to Henry?"

"Nothing, it's doesn't matter anyways, I'm too late." Emma said nearly running her words together.

The mayor stood and followed the blonde, "No, you can't bring it up and then act like you didn't say it. You're too late for what?"

The conversation was instantly forgotten as the sounds of music filled the air. It was low drums and what sounded like a tambourine. Regina looked up and down the river banks trying to figure out where it was coming from.

"Over there." Emma pointed towards the woods a little ways down the river. Smoke was dancing wildly in the air as the winds pushed it around.

Regina closed her eyes for a second in an attempt to gather her thoughts. Things could not even slow down for them to take a breath. She knew it was a gypsy camp that the festive yet exotic music was coming from, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't worried about walking up on the gypsies that inhabited it. She hadn't been to this realm in a long time and she was still hated.

She caught Emma's eye as the blonde smiled softly, "I know you're scared, but we have to go to them."

"Miss. Swan, I am not scared. I am not afraid of anything." Regina said pulling her shoulders back straight and raising an eye brow.

Emma stared at her for a brief second and then said, "Yeah sure. I keep forgetting that I'm dealing with the Evil Queen." She shook her head as she began walking down the river shore.

Regina wanted to argue or shout out some sort of insult to the blonde, but she didn't. Emma's words stung a little, if the sheriff wouldn't finish their previous discussion, then she knew she wouldn't get much out of her on her last comment.

The mayor followed the other woman towards the camp. Anger was beginning to rise in her chest at herself. She was on the verge of tears again at the mere frustration and confusion of the situation. What was this woman doing to her?

SQSQSQSQSQ

Propping his elbow up on the bar as he leaned forward, the pirate rubbed a hand over his numbing face. The juke box continued to play the same sad bluesy songs back to back making him wish someone would shot him in the face.

He picked up the full shot glass the bartender sat down in front of him, put it to his lips and threw it back. The burn in his throat and the warmth it created as it made its way down was welcoming. Getting drunk was nothing new for him, he had been doing that most his life.

Thoughts of Emma entered Killian's mind. He thought he had finally found the one. He shook his head with a quick snort. Villains don't get happy ending, except the Evil Queen. He ran another hand over his face. How could Regina ever love Emma the way she deserved? As far as he knew she wasn't capable.

It was all too much. He hadn't cared for another human other than himself, since Milah. He let his memory linger on the dark haired beauty for a few moments and smiled. He had loved her too, and again someone had taken her from him.

Killian felt a presence walk up beside him, but he didn't look up.

"Two of whatever he is drinking and two beers." Robin's voice said smoothly to the bartender.

"What are you doing here, mate." Killian let the last word spit from his mouth as if it had tasted bad.

He could see the man beside him sit down on the stool out of the corner of his eye, "What? Are you the only one who can have a drink around here?"

Hook looked over at him, "This is your fault, mate."

Robin looked him in the eye and sighed, "Not all of it, but I'll take blame for some."

The bartender sat the shots down in front of the two men followed by the mugs of beer. Killian had half expected the archer to argue with him. He had it all plan out on what he would have said next, but when Robin didn't bit, hook turned back around.

"This has been going on way before I came into the picture Killian." Robin said taking a sip of his beer.

"Yes, but as long as the queen had you, I still had a chance with Emma." His voice was a little harsher than he had actually intended for it to be.

Robin turned and looked at him, "No mate. The truth is, when I first met Regina, everything was amazing. I had never met a woman so hard on the outside, but who could love so beautifully on the inside. In the beginning I also though she was the one." He took a big gulp of his beer and let out a satisfying growl then continued talking, "I chose my dead wife over her. I might as well have ripped the queen's heart out with my own two hands. When we got back from New York, there was something different about her. The way she looked at the sheriff, or how her eyes would light up with just mention of the sheriff's name. I knew then, even if she didn't."

Killian really didn't want to hear this right now, but in the same sense, he knew it too. How many times had he witnessed the blonde stand up for the queen and believe in her when no one else dared, or how many times had he and Emma been on a date and her phone would ring. He could almost always wager that it was the mayor, and Emma would take the call every time. At the time, he tried to rationalize that it was because something could have been the matter with Henry and the blonde had been worried, but on a number of those calls, Henry had been with her parents.

Hook growled loudly as he ran both hand down his face. He picked up his shot glass and tilted it slightly towards the archer. Robin picked up his glass and clanked it against the pirates and then the two men threw them back.

Robin took a quick sip of his beer to chase the harsh liquid, "I overheard that there is this secret mission in the works."

Hook looked over at him, "Aye, there is. It is something Henry came up with to get his mums together."

Robin sat his mug down on the bar, "Are you truly invested in it mate?"

Hook looked over at the archer, "Aye mate, I am. I want Emma to be happy even if it's with…" He hesitated trying to get the disgusted tone he was about to use to go away, "Regina."

Robin chuckled slightly, "Regina will love her with everything she has."

Killian picked up his beer chugging the rest of it and then slammed it down on the bar. He clenched his jaw and then released it, "That what I'm most afraid of."

SQSQSQSQSQ

"Stop where you are!" A man's voice called as they came to the edge of the wood's where the camp was located.

Emma pused stepping in front of the mayor as if to protect her, "We come in peace."

Regina pushed the blonde out of the front of her, "We are not in Roswell dear." Her voice was thick with sarcasm.

Emma sighed, trying to ignore the queen's attitude, "We are looking for Cappi."

"Cappi?" The man asked, "What is your business with Cappi?"

"Is the gypsy here or not?" Regina asked as she rolled her eyes.

The man stepped out from behind a tree where he had been hidden. He was large in size with a full dark beard. He was a giant of a man to say the least.

"What is your business with Cappi wench?" He asked.

Emma saw the toned muscle in the brunette's face flex and quickly said, "I am Emma and this is Regina, we are friends of Cappi."

Before the man could speak, Cappi appeared, "I wouldn't call us friends. You did blast me with magic Witch." He said without an expression.

Emma couldn't control the furrowing of her brow, "It wouldn't have happened if you would have kept your mouth shut."

There was an awkward moment of silence and then out of nowhere, the unknown gypsy burst into laughter, "That sounds like Cappi." The other man said in between fits of laughter.

Cappi glared at his companion, "It's not funny."

The other man chuckled, "Oh it's funny all right. I have wanted to smack you around on a couple of occasions because of your mouth." He wiped a tear from his eye as he tried to gain control of his outburst.

Emma glanced at Regina and saw the curious look on her face. Emma didn't want to get into it right at this moment so she chose not to elaborate on what Cappi was talking about. Besides that, she figured the queen would be mad at her for using her magic in a petty disagreement about her.

The large gypsy walked up to Emma and put his hand out, "I'm Eladon." He smiled to the blonde but his look was a little more skeptical when it fell on the mayor, but he gestured for them to join him as he started back into the woods, "Welcome."

It was a short walk to the camp and Emma's eyes nearly popped out of her head at the sight. There had to be at least twenty or more people there. Vardos litter that section of the forest. Clothes lines had been strung up between the wagons where colorful laundry hung as it dried. There was a group of men and women were sitting by a large fire. A couple of men beat out rhythms on drums while a woman who could have passed for a relative of Esmeralda's danced tapping the tambourine against her hip.

A handful of children ran passed Emma and Regina laughing. An old woman stood off to the side by a smaller fire, stirring a massive pot. Whatever she was cooking smelled wonderful, and by the growling the blonde's stomach was doing she was hungry.

As Eladon walked them by the large fire, the music stopped and the group of people were now watching them.

"I must take you to see Florica first." He said.

Emma glanced behind her to make sure the mayor was still following and then asked, "Florica?"

"She is our elder mother. Normally you would speak with the King, but he was taken by the army." Cappi said as he walked up beside the blonde.

Emma followed the large man up to one of the vardos. He started up the steps and then turned to face the women, "Wait here." He walked up the steps to the little door and knocked. An elderly woman's voiced called for him to enter.

The sheriff found herself fascinated with the vardo concept. They were houses on wheels, very similar to RVs, well prehistoric ones. She found herself wondering if this is where the idea came from.

Movement beside her pulled her from her thoughts. Glancing over she could see Regina pacing a small area with her arms crossed over her chest and she bit her bottom lip. Emma could tell that she was nervous.

On instinct, the blonde reached out brushing her hand gently across the brunette's forearm, "Hey, it's going to be all right." She said trying to reassure her.

Of course Regina only narrowed her eye brows at Emma. She didn't understand why the other woman was so angry with her. She didn't want to be with the blonde, she chose Robin. What difference would it make if she left or not?

The door on the vardo opened and the two men stepped out. They climbed down from the wagon followed by an elderly woman in which they helped down the steep steps. Her dress, like many of the other gypsy women she had seen, looked hand sewn with many different and very colorful pieces of material.

The old woman walked slowly towards Emma stopping only a couple of feet from her. The woman was much shorter than the sheriff or Regina, so she found herself looking down at the her. The woman may have been small, but her demeanor was very intimidating.

"You must be Emma." She said staring up at her with royal blue eyes.

Emma wasn't sure how she should address the woman so she just said, "Yes Ma'am."

The old woman smiled, "How is your mother, child?"

Emma was a little surprised at the question, but answered any ways, "She is well. She is back in our land with my father and little brother." The blonde shot her eyes at Regina quickly and then back to the woman

"Snow White and I have crossed paths in these very woods." The old woman chuckled to herself.

The old gypsy's eyes darted over to Regina and an instant chill seemed to float in the air, "I bet you were disappointed that you were unable to kill her."

"At first maybe, but not now. I guess you are all team Snow and I am just the villain." Regina said rolling her eyes."

The old woman laughed louder this time, "Child we have all been villains at least once in our lifetimes. Snow White was a spoiled little brat, who liked to steal." The woman never took her eyes off of the brunette, "She stole some jewelry from me many years ago so I had her tracked down by my daughter. Once she was caught and brought back, we held her captive here for a few weeks. In that time I learned many things about her, and found out that she wasn't as bad as she had once wanted us to believe. She and my daughter had grown very close in that time, so close in fact we planned for a wedding."

Emma tilted her head slightly, letting her eyes move from Regina back to the old woman, "My mother and your daughter were a couple?"

Regina's eyes had widened as well. Emma would have thought many things about her mother. She had found out from personal experience that Mary Margret was not as innocent as she liked the world to think and that by many choices she and David had made along the way, they had in fact been villains themselves, but finding out that her mother had been in a relationship with another woman was very hard to believe.

"Yes. The two of them were inseparable." The old woman said seeming to drift off into her own thoughts.

"What happened with them?" Emma asked curiously.

The old woman swallowed, "My Mirela was killed by soldiers in her majesty's army." The old woman let her eyes fall on Regina, but they were filled more with sadness than anger, "As soon as your mother got word of Mirela's death, she was devastated. I tried my hardest to reach out to her and comfort her, but it was like something had broken inside the princess. She left our camp and I never saw her again."

Emma was still speechless but her eyes found Regina's and she could see guilt welling up. She looked sympathetically down at the old gypsy, "I am so sorry. I…"

The brunette's words were cut off when the old woman reached out and touched her cheek, just below her blackened eye, "Shhh, child. I am no longer angry with you. I have prayed many nights that you will have a long and happy life."

Regina looked confused, "Why would you do that? If someone were to hurt my son, I would never forgive them and would not rest until he or she were punished." A tear slipped from the mayor's eye.

The gypsy woman kept her hand on Regina's face and smiled lightly, "Do you regret what you did?"

Another tear rolled down her cheek and Regina nodded, "Yes. If I could go back there are so many things I would change." Regina fell onto her knee in front of the old woman her hand grabbed the old woman's dress, "Please forgive me."

The old woman bent down and took Regina lightly under the chin raising her to her feet, "I forgave you many years ago, child."

Emma noticed that everyone in the camp had seemed to circle around. Their faces all showed a sweet sadness and they seemed to hang on every word that fell from the old woman's mouth, "Always remember this, child. Changing things in the past will alter things in the present. All of the horrible things you did back then, made you who you are today. As dreary as it may sound, be thankful of who you became your majesty, because had it been written differently, you may not have that son you love so dearly, nor specific others." She said glancing back at the blonde.

Regina wiped the tear streaks from her face and nodded, but didn't say anything else. Emma couldn't help but look at her. Seeing tears fall from those gorgeous chocolate orbs was like sacrilege. However, she had never seen someone look as beautiful when they cried as Regina did.

The old woman looked back to Emma, "Now you two go and rest by the fire while supper is finishing, we will discuss the pressing matters of Shaw after."


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you again for everyone who is reading and I hope you continue to enjoy the story. Sorry about any typos of poor grammar, I tried.**

 **Chapter13**

After they had eaten, the group did discuss Shaw. Regina and Emma told the gypsies everything that had happened since they had come through the portal, well everything that was relevant to Shaw or the gypsies as well as telling them about Sarah. In turn, Florica filled them in on when Shaw started unlawfully arresting the gypsies.

The old woman had informed them that they had scouts that knew the location that the other gypsies were being kept. Apparently Shaw was in the process of building a new palace and had enslaved all of their people to construct it. The ones who did not work on the construction, were either killed or he made them do his other biding. The old woman explained that there were certain gypsies that were similar to a shaman or maybe even a witch. This explained the old woman who had placed the curse on the wolf

Regina had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach about the plans they were making.

"We will have to figure out how to take them out one by one." Cappi said drinking ale from a wooden mug.

The mayor shifted in her position on the log she was sitting on, "How do you intend to do that?" She furrowed her eyebrows, "You all are going to get yourselves killed. Shaw's army outnumbers you ten to one."

Eladon scratched his beard, "We will have to use more wit than him, but we can't sit back and do nothing."

Regina stood up crossing her arms over her chest. She had led her own men into battle more times then she would like to admit, but war strategy was something she had been good at, "How many able men do we have?"

Cappi looked up in surprise, "We?"

Regina ignored him, and instead looked at old woman. A slight smile curled the old woman's worn mouth up, "We have eight people here that are able to fight."

The mayor slowly scratched her temple with one finger, "They can sneak in as captives. If the scouts are able to get close enough to see what is going on, then there has to be a way to hide weapons. One by one you can arm the captives and raise a rebellion."

Cappi spoke again, "You said we. Where do you come?"

Regina let her eyes fall on the emerald ones of Emma, then she turned back to the gypsy man, "I will turn myself into Shaw, that should distract him for a little while."

Emma shot up, "The hell you will! There is no way I would let you do that, not after what he did to you!"

"This isn't your decision." Regina said refusing to look at the woman again.

The blonde walked closer placing her hands on the brunette's upper arms, "Regina please don't do this. I can't lose you."

Anger rose in the older woman's chest, "Yet I am not the one planning to leave everyone behind in StoryBrooke.

The sheriff tilted her head, her cheeks changing colors from her own anger, "Why would I want to stay? I am not strong enough to watch the woman I love live happily ever after with the man she loves." The last part came out a little choked and Regina could see the tear that had escaped Emma's eye. Quickly the blonde turned away.

There was an awkward silence before the old woman said, "Well, it is getting late. We will need to pack up and move in the morning. You girls can give us your final decision then." She looked over to Eladon as she stood, "Set them up in Mirela's vardo." With that she walked away for her own wagon.

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David paced the pawn shops store front floor, "Damn it Gold! What the hell is taking so long? You said you needed the book so you could get the spell which you said was the last piece of the puzzle to bring them back."

"I do not need you standing over my shoulder reminding me of what I said." Rumple snapped. He was leaning over the counter flipping slowly through Cora's spell book.

"You don't care if something happens to them do you? With Regina gone you have no more competition and with the Savior gone you don't have to worry about her stopping whatever future plans you have." David narrowed his eyebrow placing his hands on his hips.

Rumple rubbed his temple standing up straight, "Now I know why Regina continues to call you an idiot." He slowly walked out from behind the counter and towards the prince, "I was the one to ensure that Emma would come here to break the curse, if you remember correctly."

David stepped up, his chest almost touching the shorter man's, "Yes I remember. I remember you only did it for your own selfish reasons."

The imp clenched his jaw, "All right. That may have been, but I still brought her here, and rather I need either of them now or not, I agreed to help, so back off!" A small spray of spit hit the prince's lower chin.

David bumped his chest to the imp's, "You better bring my daughter and Regina back unharmed." His voice was low.

A smirk rode up on the shorter man's face, "Are you threatening me Sheriff?"

"Cut it out, now!" Belle's voice called from the door. They had been so involved with their anger they hadn't noticed the bell jingle over the door.

"David? What's going on?" Snows voice caused her husband's head to shoot up and look at her.

Both women stood scowling; Belle had her arms folded over her chest as Snow had her hands rested firmly on her hips.

Rumpled looked over at his wife, "We were just discussing the safe return of Sheriff one and the mayor." His mouth smiled, but his eyes were dark.

Snow tilted her head waiting for her husband's response, when he gave none, she said, "David, can I see you outside for a moment?"

David winced, he was more afraid of his wife's wrath than that of the most magical creature. His theory was that the magical creatures he only had to deal with for limit amounts of time, his wife on the other hand was forever.

He stepped away from Rumple and followed his wife outside. His first instinct was to get defensive, "Honey he is just twiddling his thumbs while Emma and Regina are only the Gods know where."

His wife narrowed her eyes, "David, he is trying to find out where they are. He can't just do the spell on a random hope he locates them."

"He said all he needed was the damned book and we would be set." David didn't mean to raise his voice at his wife.

She crossed her arms, "Do you think you are the only person worried about them. She is my daughter too. He has been working non-stop for the last week to help find them. Belles said he hasn't slept beside her since we asked for his help, so no matter what his motivation is, he is trying to find them David."

David lowered his head, but he was surprised at the news of Rumple's dedication, "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just stressed out and worried about her, them."

Snow smiled softly with sadness in her eyes, "So am I. We will bring them home. You need to go to the station or go get some fresh air and let me deal with Gold."

David leaned forward kissing his wife gently on the lips and then pulled back with a slight nod, "All right. Call me if he finds anything." He didn't wait for his wife to respond, he trotted across the street towards the station.

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Henry pulled his story book from his back pack as he leaned back in his birth mother's desk chair, kicking his feet up on the desk. He was really starting to miss his moms. He had come to the station because he didn't want to be sitting the large empty mansion alone nor did he want to sit and literally stare at the four wall of his grandparent's apartment.

He opened the book propping it up in his lap. He found himself wishing he hadn't broken that pencil so he could just write his mothers' return. He shook his head at himself. No, he couldn't do that, because that would make him no better than the last author not to mention he wanted his mother's to fall in love on their own, not because he wrote it to be so.

Henry slowly turned the pages, letting his finger glide over the colorful, smooth and glossy paper. He smiled at some of the images, like the one where Snow met Prince Charming. Even though the book did not fill in all of the details of their meeting, he had heard the stories from his grandfather and they were far funnier than the book had depicted.

He came to the page where Emma met Hook. It wasn't that he didn't like the pirate, because he did. It was that his birth mother did not share the man's feelings. Hook had tried to be a good man after getting with Emma, and for the most part he had succeeded. The trouble was that Henry had seen that longing look in his blonde mother's eye when she looked at his adoptive mom. He could literally feel how happy she was when they were all together. His own heart broke for her when Robin came back. The change in the sheriff had been instant and there was nothing Henry could do about it.

He yawned, stretching his arms above his head causing the book to fall to the floor, "Crap." He said sliding his feet off the wooden surface.

"Hey Henry, what are you doing here?" David asked as he opened the glass door.

"Oh just chillin'." The teen answered as he bent over to pick up the book.

"Ah." David said walking over to his own desk and plopping down in the rickety office chair.

Henry had to pick the book up with both hand for fear he might rip one of the pages as it lay opened and face down on the floor, "So how is everything going so far?"

Instantly the teen regretted asking as he lifted the large leather bound story book up and sat it on the desk.

"That stupid arrogant Imp is taking his sweet ass time about opening the portal." David ranted.

Henry nodded his understanding, more to appear as though he had heard the man's words rather than actually agreeing. He flipped the book over and an image caught his eye."

David continued his rant, "That man has never cared for anyone or anything other than himself, and when I bring up how he doesn't do anything unless there is something in it for him, no one agrees with me."

Henry's eyes were glued to the book. An image of an ogre bent over what appeared to be his adoptive mother stared back at him. He looked closer noting the blonde that stood on the monster's shoulder. His grandfather's words were muffled as his brain tuned the man out.

"Then Mary Margret tells me that it is because he doesn't know where they are. What the hell has he been doing while the vase was being reconstructed and we were looking for the book?" David's voice cleared as though he had been in a tunnel and now had made it to the other side.

"I know where they are." Henry said in a monotone voice.

"I mean has he been just sitting around doing noth…" David stopped as his grandson's words registered, "Wait, what?"

"I know where they." Henry repeated.

"Where?" David asked sitting up in his chair.

Henry turned holding the book open on display for the prince, "In the Enchanted Forest."

David jumped from his chair grabbing the book for a closer look, "Oh my God. We have to tell Gold." The man shoved his book into the boy's arms and ushered him out of the station.

Henry was glad that they were closer to finding his moms. He did dread for his mother's reaction to Robin's news. There was only one thing that he was curious about right now. If he was the author, then how did these images get inside the book?

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Eladon had showed them where the vardo was, but had convinced them to stay up a while to enjoy some ale and music. Emma was actually surprised that Regina had agreed, but then again she was pretty sure the other woman was trying to wait until the last minute to be alone in small quarter with the blonde.

Regina sat on a log across the fire from Emma. The brunette was radiant in the fire light as the shadows danced wildly across the older woman's features. A gypsy woman had sat down next to the mayor and started conversing. They were too far away for the blonde to hear what they were saying over the popping and crackling of the fire, so she just watched.

The sheriff hadn't noticed when Cappi sat down beside her. She was too captivated by the queen. Something the gypsy woman had said made Regina smile and Emma's lips curled up on their own accord. She couldn't believe that she had confessed her love to Regina in front of everyone. Not that she was shy about it, but Emma didn't do well with uncertainty when it came to her feelings. She had always run when things got too complicated. Hell she had tried to run after Henry and her got back from New York, but she stayed.

"Why are you way over here when the woman you love is sitting over there?" Cappi's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

She smiled softly at him, "It's a little more complicated than that. I love her, but Regina loves someone else. He's waiting for her back home." She wasn't sure why she felt that she should tell the man she had blasted that information, but she did.

His eyes watched the queen as he spoke, "She loves you too."

Emma turned towards him, "What makes you think that?" She asked more out of curiosity for them man's opinion rather than her believing it.

"I have watched the two of you for the last couple of days. You look at her as if she was the only person in this world, and the rest of us are ghost. You have defended her with such devotion even a magic spell or potion couldn't possess." He said taking a sip from him mug.

Emma laughed lightly, "We have already established how I feel about her."

He nodded his head in the queen's direction, "She has that same look for you, friend."

Emma let her eyes fall back to the mayor. To her surprise the other woman was looking at her and for a brief moment, she would swear she could see it. Regina returned the gaze, but after a moment she dropped her eyes shyly, and pretended to be interested in what the woman next to her was saying.

One of the men that she had seen Cappi with a couple of days ago had pulled out a lute and started strumming out a sweet melody. The woman with the tambourine joined in lazily tapping it against her hip in a slow rhythm.

Cappi nudged the blonde in the side causing her to look up at him, "Ask her to dance."

Emma suddenly felt panic, "Nah, she would just say no anyways."

Elador had sat down on the other side of Cappi and the two men threw knowing winks at one another. Emma raised an eye brow in suspicion as she watched Elador stand and walk around the fire to Regina.

Emma watched the interaction with curiosity. She could not tell what the bearded man was saying, but she could see the smile that swept across the brunette's face. Regina took the hand the man offered and stood. They walk a small distance and began to dance.

"See how easy that was?" Cappi said.

Emma started to argue the fact that it was her that Regina would not wish to dance with, but Cappi stood holding out his hand. The blonde looked at it and then at him. The man smiled, "Trust me."

Emma hesitantly took his hand. He led her to the area where the other two were dancing. He put his hand on Emma waist and started moving. She fell into rhythm with him, and even smiled at the man when he stumbled over her feet.

"Such a suave dancer." She teased.

He chuckled, "It doesn't matter how bad I dance."

Emma was confused by the answer, "Why do you say that?"

He spun her at the same time Elador spun Regina causing them to bump into each other.

"Oh, sorry about that." Emma said looking down.

Regina did a similar action, "I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going."

When Emma turned to look for Cappi he was dancing with a brown haired woman. She felt a little awkward and turned back towards Regina's partner only to see that he was dancing with someone else as well.

Regina looked just as nervous and out of place as she did. Emma bit her bottom lip, "Would you like to dance." Pink filled her cheeks and she was afraid to look into the chocolate eyes.

"Umm, all right." Regina said stepping closer to the blonde.

Emma raised a timid hand up to the brunette's waist and gently pulled her even closer as her other hand took Regina's. They both seemed to be a bit tense as their body began to sway to the music, but it soon dissipated.

Besides waking up to the naked brunette on top of her, this had to be the greatest feelings. The warmth of Regina's body against hers, and the way they seemed to move as one entity. This is something the blonde had only dreamed about before.

The mayor's body seemed to relax even more and she pushed her body flush with Emma front, laying her head on the blonde's shoulder. The sheriff couldn't help but to inhale the scent of the dark locks as she leaned her head against the brunette's. She was surprised that her hair still smelled of cinnamon and spice.

"I'm sorry." Emma whispered.

Regina kept her head on the younger woman's shoulder, "For what?"

Emma chewed on her bottom lip, "For everything."

She felt Regina chuckle and then sighed, "Don't ruin the moment Swan."

The blonde was suddenly dreading the trip home. There had been no Hook or Robin to interrupt them here and to a degree, she had the queen all to herself here, but she missed their son and knew they couldn't stay.

The sheriff smiled into the dark hair and closed her eyes. If she couldn't gain the queen's love, she could at least enjoy what she was offered.


	14. Chapter 14

**Readers: I have caught up to the chapters I have already written. I still plan to try and post a chapter a day, but there may be some days I can't. I am not as great writing this sort of chapter so I hope you all like it, and again I apologize for any errors. Thank you all for reading. :)**

 **Chapter14**

David burst through the pawn shop doors with Henry in tow. He was overly excited with his grandson's new findings that he had already forgotten the altercation he and Gold had previously had.

Snow poked her head out from behind the curtain that was the makeshift door dividing the store front from the back room. David could tell by his wife's expression that she thought he was back to argue more with the Imp, "Henry found them." He said to stop the assumptions.

Gold raised an eyebrow, "Where?"

Henry hurried passed his maternal grandfather and placed the opened book on the counter in front of his paternal grandfather. It would appear to the sheriff that the boy had also forgotten his grudge with the Imp through his own excitement, "Here." He said pointing to the picture.

Rumple leaned closer to the pages to get a better look, "That is the Enchanted Forest, but how is this possible for new stories to appear when you are the author?"

Even thought it was more of a rhetorical question, the boy answered, "I was wondering that too, but the important thing right now is that we know where they are, right?"

The Dark one turned the page to a new elaborate picture of the two women sitting by a fire surrounded by other people and colorful wagons. He looked up at his grandson and smiled, "Right you are boy."

Henry smiled back, which made David feel a little better. It had been very uncomfortable when he was in the presents of both his grandson and the Imp. Henry was so angry with him for trying to kill him, and for pretty much killing his mother while they were in the book, but David didn't blame him. He found himself wanting to crush the man for his role in helping the old author.

Rumple handed the book to Belle so she and Snow could see the pictures. Snow let out a loud sigh of relief, "Oh Thank the Gods."

David felt antsy as he watched everyone smile and study the book for longer than he thought they needed, "So cast the spell. Let's bring them home." He smiled himself as he looked up to his wife and then to the Imp.

"I am having trouble deciphering which spell is the correct one." Gold said looking down at the gold trimmed spell book.

David narrowed his eyes, "You're kidding, right? How long is that going to take?"

He saw a swirl of darkness cross Rumples eyes, "As long as it takes."

"You son of a bitch, you said all you needed this time was to find where they were. What excuse will you come up with next?" David clenched his fist at his sides as the anger rose in his chest.

"David." Snow said stepping around the counter to get closer to her husband. "We are going to go and talk to Mother Superior and see if she can help. We have to be patient, and we will bring them home."

Henry's face had sobered at his grandfather's agitation, but he seemed to agree with his grandmother. He couldn't deal with this right now. All he knew was that he wanted his daughter home where she would be safe. He knew she had survived the Enchanted Forest once, but his wife was with her to help protect her. Who would protect her now? Could he trust that the former Evil queen would?

David threw an apologetic glance towards Henry and then his wife. He needed some fresh air. Maybe, he thought, he needed a drink. Without another word he walked out of the pawn shop.

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She had whole heartedly enjoyed herself tonight. Dancing with the sheriff was amazing, to her surprise. She laughed to herself, Emma had proven on more than one occasion that she was Charming, must be a birth right.

Regina had stumbled over the blonde's feet several times, which was rare, or at least it would have been many years ago. She and the blonde had laughed over it causing her heart to melt at the sound that poured from the younger woman. It was almost angelic and absolutely contagious.

She turned her back to the blonde as they began getting ready to sleep. There was an eerie glow from the candle they had lit that cast shadows on the walls of the small vardo. She had removed her boots, cloak and tunic, but left her linen shirt on. It was long and fell just above her mid-thigh.

She was feeling very under dressed, not as much as last night of course, but still. She slowly turned trying to avoid eye contact with the blonde. Her thoughts were scrambled and every time she tried to think of Home, Henry or remind herself of Robin, her thoughts went back to Emma and what she had said tonight.

The mayor stole a quick glance at the blonde and immediately regretted it. Emma was standing in only the very thin, see-through shirt, she might add. The candle was behind Emma causing it to illuminate her shirt causing a perfect silhouette of her naked body beneath it. Last night came rushing back. Emma's skin against hers, the warmth she radiated and oh God the sheriff's arousal that had covered her knee. She fought a shiver that threatened to run up her spine as she climbed up onto the built in bed. Panties were not part of their attire, so it was going to be hard to hide the arousal she suddenly felt pooling between her thighs. Regina found herself praying that she would not have to get up and go to the bathroom or anything, for fear that the other woman would notice.

She watched Emma as she turned and blew out the candle. All of the air left her lungs as the darkness intensified the rest of her senses. She felt the bed dip as the blonde climbed in, her thigh gently brushed Regina's. A moan almost made it past her lips, but the brunette cleared her throat in a desperate attempt to detour it.

The mayor could tell by the bounce and the feel of the younger woman's leg that she had lain on her back. A sigh filled the darkness causing Regina to jump slightly.

"You okay?" The blonde asked.

"Y-yes." Regina cursed herself for the stutter.

Silence again filled the air. The only sounds Regina could hear were her own heartbeat and the breathing coming from the woman beside her. How in the hell was it that everything this blonde seemed to do turned her on?

She tried again to think of Robin. He had obviously turned her on, and she had even had very pleasurable sex with him. She thought of his unshaven face and how it was course against her neck. She closed her eyes in the dark picturing him kissing down her stomach leaving slightly irritated skin behind, and then the feel of the stubble against her sensitive inner thighs. She could have done without the course hair, but she was raised to believe that was how men should look. A sudden image of Emma between her thighs popped into her mind. The woman smooth cheeks rubbing her thighs, and her soft lips grazing over her…. Oh my God! What the hell was wrong with her? This was not helping in the least bit; it was only making things worse.

The brunette shifted uncomfortably in the bed. She too was laying on her back her shoulder and leg touching the smooth skin of the other woman. She had to think of something else or she was literally going to go insane.

"Don't go to Shaw." Emma's voice whispered in the darkness.

Regina was happy for the distraction, but she also didn't want to discuss this either, "I have to."

She felt the blonde shift to her side, her voice feeling closer, "There has to be another way. I don't want him to hurt you again."

The queen could feel the sadness in the sheriff's tone, she swallowed, "Don't worry about me." She laughed in an attempt to sound brave, "I can handle myself."

She felt the bed against her dip further as the blonde leaned over her putting her hand against Regina's cheek. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness and she could see the worry in the other woman's eyes, "I know you can, but I'm still worried. I want to kill him for putting his hands on you, and if he does it again, I will."

The mayor could see the sheriff was dead serious, but she also could see the softer emotion that swam in those emerald eyes of hers. She found herself watching the younger woman's lips causing Emma to self-consciously lick them. She had never had someone defend her like the blonde had done. Hell Robin was quick to give up her heart to Zelna. It seemed she always had to rescue him.

"In the morning I think we should talk to Florica about getting that bracelet off of you and un-cursing me." Emma said moving her hand from Regina's face and rolling back to her side of the bed.

Regina frowned at the sudden loss of contact. The blonde had admitted she was in love with her, and the mayor wanted to beat her head up against a wall at these mixed feelings. Her thoughts went back to Robin. She tried to image what her life would be like in a couple of years with Robin. He could provide necessities for her and Henry in the form of food with his hunting. He was a great male role model for Henry and her son did need a man in his life, right?

Her mind shifted to Emma. She couldn't help the up lifting feeling that fluttered through her heart. Emma was a great role model for their son, well in the morality department at least. Her manners and actual parenting skills were lacking, but she loved him. Her father had been a great male figure in their son's life, and Henry respected him. Was she actually considering the blonde as her partner?

"Emma?" She asked quietly.

She felt the woman shift towards her again. Regina didn't usually let weakness show but she needed desperately to know, "If I were to leave Robin, would you stay in Story Brooke?"

"That's not fair." The blonde voice whispered.

Regina sat up looking down at the blonde, "Not fair? Everything that has happened since you kissed me in the station hasn't been fair." She could feel her blood pressure rise as her anger flared.

She watched in disbelief as the blonde's lip curled up into a smile. She couldn't believe this. Was this no longer a serious subject, or had she been playing the queen this whole time? Now she was mad, she felt like crying and she was still confused. She felt Emma start to get up and without thought, the brunette jumped onto the other woman straddling her hip, "No. You do not get to put me through hell for a week and then run away. You are supposed to be the Savior, but you keep trying to run."

Emma's eyes were wide with surprise, her mouth slightly agape. Regina reached out grabbing the blonde by the face, "Are you even listening to me?" She was getting more and more furious with each passing moment the other woman didn't respond.

She noticed the sheriff's eyes slowly sweep down to her stomach where she was sitting and Regina's heart skipped a beat as her cheeks instantly turned apple red. She had forgotten about her arousal and now she was sitting on Emma's hip. Why had she done that? She glanced down to where the blonde's eye had been and realized the situation was even worse. When she slid onto the woman's waist, the blonde's shirt had risen up and now they were skin to skin, which means that the younger woman would not be able to deny the wetness that was now dripping onto her soft blonde curls at the apex of her own thighs.

She was frozen and unsure what to do. She wanted to avoid the other woman's eyes but found it impossible. She was afraid she would find disgust there, but instead her breath caught at the arousal that seemed to swirl through the green orbs.

In one flood motion, the blonde flipped the mayor onto her back. Still positioned between her thighs, she stared down at Regina for a moment. The brunette had always been the dominate one in bed, no matter which man she was with, but suddenly she didn't feel as confident. Ever fiber in her body wanted this, but she was under this woman's spell and would do whatever she wished in this moment.

Emma leaned down capturing the brunette's lips with her own. Regina let out a soft moan as her hands found their way into the blonde locks of the younger woman's hair. She pulled her closer deepening the kiss.

The sheriff's tongue slipped past the mayor's lips causing her hips to thrust gently forward. She could have gotten lost in hypnotizing movement of that tongue, but when Emma pressed her hips into her firmly, she broke the kiss as a deep moan flew from her throat.

Regina found herself thinking briefly that she should stop this as the blonde ducked her head to gain access to the mayor's neck. All of those thoughts were forgotten as the soft lips met her pulse point and a strong, smooth tongue flicked playfully across it. The brunette's hand had slid from the locks down the long elegant neck of the sheriff. She pulled against it to let Emma know she had found one of many special spots Regina's body possessed.

She felt the soft hands of the blonde on her thigh as she slowly ran them up her body as she lifted the linen shirt. Her mouth move further down and Regina bit her lip in anticipation. She could not remember ever being as turned on as she was right now.

The soft hands moved effortlessly up her rib cage as she pushed the shirt, guiding it over Regina's small but firm breast. She could feel Emma's warm breath on her skin and her breath hitched.

A loud gasp was released as the blonde's mouth latched onto her hardened nipple. Regina's hip slowly began rocking against the blonde's hips and a muffled growl came from Emma as she continued her assault on the other woman's breast. This was helping to build the older woman's confidence. She found herself swearing she would never let another person make these sounds come out of the blonde, they were all for her.

Emma slowly kissed her way down, darting her tongue out every so often to message the skin as she moved. Regina's nervousness had returned as she realized that the blonde was now slightly below her belly button. She should have stopped her, but her level of arousal was through the roof and there was no way to stop it, and deep down she had never wanted anything more.

Emma raised her head as she positioned herself between the older woman's legs. She felt shy, and afraid to look into the other woman's face, but there was an even stronger force making it impossible to do anything but.

The blonde searched her face for a sign she wanted to stop, but when she found none, she slowly lowered her head never breaking eye contact. Regina was captivated by this sexy creature who owned all of her senses. The brunette watched as the younger woman ran the flat of her tongue painfully slow up the length of her slick folds, pressing slightly harder with the tip to introduce the sensation to the sensitive bundle of nerves. Regina released another moan throwing her head back as she closed her eyes.

Emma's mouth was warm and inviting as she sucked in the swollen bundle of nerves as she hummed her own arousal. Regina knew she wouldn't last long. She had been turned on for days and with Emma skilled mouth, she was surprised she was lasting this long.

She felt the blonde's fingers enter her and causing her to cried again. Her hips bucked forward to meet the expert fingers. Her breath was hard but shallow and as much as she loved the blonde's tongue between her thighs, she desperately wanted to kiss her. She gently slid her hands down between her legs to stop the younger woman's tongue. She pulled her chin softly to direct her to come up.

A moment of confusion passed the blonde's face as she stopped her fingers as well.

"Don't stop, but I want you to kiss me." Regina panted.

Relieve washed over the sheriff's features as she resumed her hand movements. She slowly slid up the other woman's body only to moan in surprise and pleasure at the way Regina captured her lips, her hips still rocking to tempo of Emma's fingers.

Emma broke the kiss, pulling back to look at the other woman, her rhythm slowed down to an excruciatingly slow pace. Regina felt exposed as the woman studied her face, but she soon realized that the look was like no other she had ever received. It was pure love and it made her breath catch. The younger woman leaned forward again kissing her mouth, as she curled her finger upwards inside Regina causing a series of moans to escape. Her eyes closed of their own accord, when she slowly opened them, she found the sheriff watching her again. She was so close, and her hips were moving faster as the blonde sped up her pace.

All at once Regina arched her back off the mattress as an orgasm ripped through her. She cried out in pleasure grabbing the back of Emma's shirt into her fist. The blonde watched her as she rode out the orgasm; finally the mayor's body fell limp as the younger woman slowly removed her hand.

Regina was afraid to open her eyes. She felt tears building and she was afraid one would surely fall if she looked up. A warm soft hand cupped her face and she felt the blonde's thumb wipe away a rouge teardrop causing her to slowly open her eye lids.

"Are okay, I didn't hurt you, did I?" Emma asked searching her face.

A soft smile pulled at the mayor's mouth, "No. You didn't hurt me."

She slowly leaned in kissing the brunette's lips tenderly, then pulled back gazing into Regina's brown eyes, "You are so incredible beautiful."

Many men had said those words to her a thousand times, but never had she felt them as strongly as she did right now.

"I'm in love you, Regina. I have never felt this way about anyone else." Emma said her voice thick with desire and love.

Regina couldn't speak, she was fighting more tears. Instead of saying anything, reached up catching the other woman's lips in her own and flipping them to their sides. She wasn't sure what all she was feeling right now, because she had never felt it before. She was afraid if she spoke she would ruin the moment, so she did the only other thing she could think of. She slid her hand down the flat of Emma stomach until she met the warm wetness between the other woman's thighs. After a second of exploration, Emma cried out alerting her that she had found her target.


	15. Chapter 15

**Readers: I would first like to say that there is no worries about Regina's and Emma's sex scene showing up in the book. If you remember correctly, Regina always bitches that book only told part of the story, so no worries on that. Again I want to thank everyone who is reading and those who review. I am going to try my hardest to continue updating once a day, but I can't promise that will always happen. Sorry again for my errors, my beta has been super busy with real life, but she is still awesome, so I am attempting to edit myself in her absence. Thanks and you all Rock!**

 **Chapter15**

David found himself sitting at the bar of the diner, getting ready to order coffee. He had to shake his head at himself. Was he really getting that old as to where he couldn't even go to a tavern for a drink like a grown man? He was lame; he figured that is what someone Henry's age might call him.

He had too many responsibilities to deal with instead of getting shit faced at the Rabbit Hole. He had to have a straight head in case his wife, son, and grandson needed him. Hell he was the number two sheriff; he needed to be sober in case one of the towns' people had an emergency. Getting wasted wasn't going to help his daughter, or anyone else for that matter.

"Evening Sheriff. What can I get for you?" Granny asked running her wet cloth over the bar surface.

"Some coffee would be great, Granny, thank you." He said trying not to appear embarrassed as if she could read his thoughts.

The old woman smiled and nodded her head as she turned to fill his order, "How goes the progress for bringing our other sheriff and the mayor home?"

David frowned, "It's going, just not as fast I it should be."

Granny placed the steaming cup of black coffee in front of him, "They'll figure it out, you just need to keep faith."

David gave a thin lipped smile as he raised the cup up to his mouth. He knew she was right, but it didn't help how he felt. He was the hero, he has always been the hero, but now he just feels useless. He is supposed to protect his little girl from all things that might hurt her, but there they were. Sadness pulled at his heart as his thoughts got to him. He had never been able to protect his daughter. He had no idea what the 'little girl' Emma would have sounded like calling him daddy or what it would have felt like holding her in his arms after she had waken from a nightmare and having that look that only a little girl could give her daddy for being her hero.

The sheriff was glad that Granny had turned around, because she would have seen him wipe a tear away. Deep down he knows that he and his wife made the right choice in sending their daughter away, but it didn't hurt any less.

His thought turned to Robin and how he knew this cheating news would be devastating to the queen. He just hoped with everything in him that she didn't shut his daughter out because of the hurt this would surely cause. He needed to go over to the mansion and tell Robin he needed to leave, Henry had wanted to be the one to do it, but David felt it was his place as sheriff and perhaps future father-in law to do the deed. It wasn't his house and it damn sure was not honorable to stay there while he was banging the mayor's sister behind her back.

A small child giggling caught David's attention and he turned to see who it was. To his surprise Ashley was sitting with Roland in a booth. The younger woman was making funny faces at the child causing him to laugh out in glee.

"Robin wanted to go and have a talk with Hook, so Ashely is keeping the boy." Granny said drawing his attention back to bar.

"I wonder what he needs to talk to Hook about?" David asked with suspicion.

"He didn't say. He came in and asked if he could do odd jobs around here in exchange for a room for him and the boy until the snow is gone." She said pushing the small button to the off position that was beeping to alert her that the French fries were done on the fryer.

David took a big sip of his coffee then put it back down, "Well then, that makes it easier for me."

Granny raised an eyebrow, "What makes it easier for you?"

"I had planned to go over to the mansion and tell him he needed to leave before Regina came home." He said glancing back to the boy. "Thank you for taking them in. It's going to be a hard winter and I don't like the thought of Robin having the boy in a tent out in the woods."

Granny smiled, "If nothing else about that man is true, his love for his son is."

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Emma could feel the warmth of the older woman against her chest and her dark hair against her neck as she lay staring up at the ceiling. The sun had yet to rise completely, but it was enough for the sheriff to see the bright colors of the ceiling boards.

Regina had been asleep for several hours, but the blonde was finding it hard to close her eyes. As amazing as this night had been, she feared the worst. She is sure she witnessed love pour from the other woman's eyes, but trepidation always showed its ugly face when it came to Emma's self-confidence.

No one had ever looked at her that way before, nor had she ever felt that close to another person. She had loved Neal, but it was even different. Emma had been a naive kid when the two of them had been a couple. Hell maybe she was still being naive.

She closed her eyes for a moment as flashes of last night floated across her mind. Regina was every bit as sexy and beautiful as she had imagined and the night seemed to have went on forever. Emma was not complaining in the least and had the brunette not fallen asleep during one of their short breaks when they would both come up for air, the blonde would think they could still be making love at this very moment. The sheriff smiled as she glanced to the sleeping woman.

Crowing could be heard outside of the wagon. "Really? They have a chicken too?" She said quietly.

"It is a Rooster Miss. Swan." Regina's voices said thick with sleep.

Emma smiled looking down at the now awakening mayor, "Well good morning."

Regina lifted her head to see the other woman's face, "What time is it? Did you even go sleep?"

"The sun will be up soon, and I couldn't sleep." The blonde answered.

The brunette sat up and looked down at the younger woman in surprise, "How could you not sleep after all of that?"

Emma laughed lightly as she reached up to move a lock of unruly brunette hair behind the mayor's ear, "I had a lot on my mind."

Fear or some other force seemed to wash over the other woman's features, "Maybe we should get up. I can go and make some tea."

As she began to move, Emma pulled her back down onto her back and rolled on top of her as she pressed their lips together, "But it's nice and warm right here."

A genuine smile formed on the mayor's mouth, "There is no way you are ready for more. I am sore in places I didn't even know I had muscles."

A laugh escaped Emma, "No, I only meant that we could stay and cuddle."

"As lovely as that would be, dear, I don't think that our hosts will like it much." Regina said through her contagious grin.

Emma's matching smile faded as she stared at the other woman. She knew she should probably wait to ask, but at the same time, she didn't want to find out at the last minute that the odds were still in the archer's favor, "So, where does this leave us?"

Regina's features sobered and she swallowed. She stared back at Emma but it seemed she was searching for the right words. Time seemed to tick by slowly and it was driving the blonde insane, "You know what, forget I asked? I get it." The sheriff said slipping quickly out of the bed.

"Emma, wait. It's not like that." Regina tried.

The blonde was pulling on the leather pants, "I get it. I was so stupid, I should not have let things escalate last night." Her eyes were filling with tears and she desperately needed to get out of the small space.

"Emma, please listen to me. I just need some time…" Regina was fighting her own tears and losing when the sheriff cut her off.

"Time? You need more time? I have been going crazy for months over you, and now you are telling me you need time. What was last night about?" She pulled on her linen shirt and quickly slipped on her boots as she reached for her tunic, " You seemed upset thinking I only wanted to sleep with you, and now the shoe is on the other foot."

"Please listen to me. That's not it at all." Regina tried desperately to explain but Emma yanked her cloak from a coat hook and all but ran out of the wagon. She hadn't realized all the tears she had shed.

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Henry slapped wildly at the annoying buzzing from his phone on the coffee table. He squinted his eyes as he picked the device up waiting for them to adjust so he could see the time. He let out a loud sigh as he realized it was time to get up to get ready for school.

He hadn't slept well last night. You could hear everything through the walls of this loft and his baby uncle had a very good set of lung on him. Originally, his plan was to stay at the mansion, since Robin was gone and for the fact that he was fifteen. It wasn't like he needed a babysitter any more. However, he chose to stay here with his grandparent's. He had never stayed at the mansion alone. There had been times he had felt alone living there with his adoptive mother, especially before the first curse broke, but she was still there.

He sat up running his hand through his hair as he yawned. He stood up to make his way towards the bathroom when his grandmother's voice called, "Henry, the school called. It's been canceled. Snow day."

The teen looked similar to a zombie as he turned to look at the short haired brunette, his face was not amused. She couldn't have waked him up to tell him, "Great." He started moving back towards the couch.

"Your grandfather wants you to come down to the station this morning." Snow said as she started pulling food items from the refrigerator.

Henry rolled his eyes and spun back around to continue his original path to the bathroom, apparently sleep was not an option at this time.

After he was dressed, teeth brushed and hair combed he heard his grandmother's voice again, "Henry, breakfast is ready."

Although he was really glad to have a hot breakfast, he was really regretting his choice to stay here. If he had to listen to that woman shout in this cupboard sized loft again, he was going to scream.

As he came out of the bathroom he smiled as sweetly as possible and said, "Can you make that to go and I will take gramps' and my breakfast with me."

Snow looked a little taken aback, but quickly recovered, "All right. Two breakfasts to go, coming right up." She placed what he could only assume was oatmeal into a Tupperware bowl and then slip it into a paper sack passing it to him.

"Well I better get this to gramps before it gets cold. I'll see you later." Henry said as he took the bag and smiled to the older woman.

He knew she has said bye, but he was far from paying attention to know her exact words. He held his backpack strap with one arm and the paper bag with the other as he jogged down the stairs and out into the lightly snowy morning. He hoped his moms were taking care of one another. Emma was tough, there was no doubt, but she wasn't used to that world. He also hoped his adoptive mother didn't fall into any of her old habits. She was similar to an alcoholic or an addict. She was fine when she was around all of them, meaning him, David, Mary Margret and such, but he was afraid that if her chance at power was dangled in her face for too long, she might take it.

Henry shook his head to get rid of the thoughts. He knew he couldn't expect everything to be going perfectly smoothly for his mothers, but he trust them and knew Regina would pull through in the end, she always did. He had to laugh, remembering the picture from the book. Emma had killed an ogre with her dagger. His adoptive mother had to find that impressive.

He was nearly to the station when he saw a flash of blonde disappear into an alley. He wasn't sure, but it looked like they had been watching him. With his curiosity peaked he picked up his pace and hurried to follow.

Once he stepped into the alley way, there was no sign of anyone. Who was that? He was pretty certain it was a feminine form, but he could have been wrong. He was just going to have to keep his eyes open for anything or anyone suspicious. For now, he needed to get to the station before his grandfather sent out a search party.

Henry walked into the station and up to his grandfather's desk. Without a word, the older man picked up the waste basket and tilted it towards the teen. The boy held out the brown paper bag his grandmother had made for them and then released it letting it fall into the metal can. David sat the bin back down and reached across his desk to a box and flipped the lid open, revealing a variety of pastries. It wasn't that Mary Margret couldn't cook, but ever since she read that oatmeal was a healthy breakfast, she had started making it every day. Henry wasn't sure how it was possible to mess up oatmeal, but his grandmother had mastered it.

Henry smiled and reached for a bear claw, "I think someone was following me this morning." He said as he took a bite of the pastry.

David had taken a white powdered donut out of the box and bit into it, leaving a dusty white ring around his mouth, "What? Who?" Powder dusted out as he asked.

"I don't know. On my way here they were watching me from the alley, but when I went to see who it was, they were gone." Henry said taking another bite of his food.

The sheriff sat the donut back in the box and wiped his mouth, "That's it, you do not go anywhere without someone with you at all times."

Henry narrowed his eyes, "I don't need a babysitter. If they were going to hurt me, they would have done it already."

David stood up dusting the powder from his shirt, "It's not open to discussion. My job is to protect you while your mother's are away."

The teen plopped down in his mother's chair with an annoyed sigh. He shouldn't have said anything. He opened his backpack and pulled out his story book. He knew from the old stories that were already in the book, they only told a small portions of what had happened when they were written. His adoptive mother had told him on several occasions that the book only told parts of her story. That meant that he would basically only get to see the highlights of what was happening. His only hope was that his mothers were all right.

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Regina had gotten dressed, but remained seated on the edge of the bed. She had stopped crying a little while ago, but she just wasn't ready to face every one. She wanted to tell Emma so many things. She wanted her to know how much she meant to the brunette, but things were so mixed up. The mayor just needed time to make sure that it wasn't just her body wanting the other woman. She needed time to make the right decision, she couldn't chance screwing everything up. She just hoped she hadn't already screwed it up by having sex with Emma.

She was trying to think of Robin and what they had together, but it always went back to the sheriff. The incredible things she did to her body and the way she made her feel, or that breath taking look she would get in those green eyes when she looked into her brown ones.

Regina let out a shaky breath. She should be mad that the other woman for thinking that everything in life should be simple for everyone. Not everyone's choices are roses and sunshine. She couldn't think about this anymore right now. She needed to prepare a plan to get the gypsies back, and that meant she would have to surrender to Shaw. She wiped her eyes once more and stood.

"You can do this." She said out loud and then opened the small door and walked out.

It looked as though the camp was just coming to life as she looked around at all of the sleep filled eyes she passed. Food was being prepared by several women.

She let her eye search for Emma, but she wasn't finding her.

"Come child, and sit with me by the fire." Florica said coming up beside Regina.

The mayor smiled and did as she was told. The old woman handed her a metal cup with dried tea leaves wrapped in cloth inside. She then picked up a kettle sitting by the fire and pour steaming water into the younger woman's cup, "Thank you." Regina said.

The old woman nodded her response as she poured water into her own cup. She placed the kettle back down and then sat beside the brunette, "Breakfast should be done soon, and after we all eat then we can pack up."

"Do you have to move a lot?" Regina asked as she repeatedly dunked the cloth into the hot water.

"Yes, we have to move every day. We are all that is left of the free gypsies, and we are the only hope our people have at freedom." The woman said and then she took a slow sip of her tea.

Regina wasn't sure if the woman was trying to make her feel guilty or not, but it did make her feel bad. Had this been only a couple of years ago, she would not have thought twice about these people, hell she really hadn't thought twice about helping them until Emma had. That didn't make her a bad person, did it? She was here now and fully planned to help them, so that should count for something, right?

She pulled the cloth bag from her cup and sat it to the side and then took a sip. These people had shown her kindness when her 'own' so called people turned their backs, and they were also the people who thought she had taken their family members. She was somewhat dumbfounded by the acts of kindness still shown. Regina shook her head to herself and smiled inwardly, it was something Emma and her parents would have done.

Her eyes caught sight of Emma walking up from the edge of the forest with Cappi. They were both smiling at something the man had said.

"There they are." The old woman said as the two walked up to the fire.

Emma made eye contact with the queen for a moment and then dropped her gaze. Regina wanted to talk to her, say something that could comfort her, but she didn't have anything at this time.

A younger woman interrupted her thoughts as she brought bowls of something with the same consistency as Crème of wheat. The queen smiled and nodded her thank you as she was handed a bowl.

After everyone had been served, they all sat in silence as they ate. Regina wasn't real found of the food; however she was learning quickly to be thankful for what she did have. Her eyes kept glancing at the blonde. She could sense sadness, but there was nothing she could do about, not right now anyways.

"I hate to get right to it, but time is running out. Have you made a decision?" The old woman asked.

Emma raised her eyes to meet the mayor's as Regina spoke, "I am going to surrender to Shaw."

She saw the blonde slowly close her eyes and sigh. The mayor knew she wasn't happy with this plan, but it was the only way to keep Shaw distracted.

"How do we get our magic back?" Emma asked.

"Yours is a simple curse I can remove, but for the queen, she will need the same gypsy that cursed that bracelet to take it off." The old woman said.

Emma rubbed her hand over her face in frustration, "Regina, you can't go to Shaw. Not without your magic."

Regina could hear the desperation in the blonde's voice, "I have to, Miss. Swan."

She didn't miss the pained look she received from using the blonde's last name, but right now she had to distance herself from this woman or she would definitely get herself or others killed.

Emma stood up with a scowl, "Fine, then I'm turning myself in too."

"Are you out of your mind? Shaw wants to kill you." Regina stood as she raised her voice.

"He could do the same to you." Emma challenged.

"He doesn't want me dead. He wants me to bow down to him. You on the other hand he will kill to set an example and to teach me a lesson." Regina explained.

Anger flashed in the blondes eyes, "So you just plan to go in there and what? Do whatever he wants?"

Regina tilted her head slightly as she recognized the jealousy in Emma question, "I will do whatever I need to get their people back. Hopefully I will be able to get my magic back somehow along the way."

Emma stared at her for a moment then snorted in disbelief, "This is absurd!" Regina new Emma was trying hard to plead with the brunette through her eyes, but she was doing this and it was final. She looked over at Cappi, "You need to strategically place weapons around the location, before sneaking in. Once you are in, you can work on getting the others ready for an uprising. Do you have weapons available?"

Cappi smiled and pointed to a covered wagon that sat off to the side, "We do indeed have weapons."

The blonde was pacing with her arms over her chest. She finally looked at the mayor, "Okay, so lets say we are able to free all of the gypsies, and then what? How will we be able to rescue you from Shaw?"

Regina smiled softly, "You're the Savior, you'll figure it out and then come and save me."


	16. Chapter 16

**Readers: Sorry this is a short chapter and that it has been two day since I posted. I have been getting a little busy with the holidays coming, but I will post again ASAP. Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the story. And again I do apologize for any and all errors.**

 **Chapter16**

Henry leaned back on the bench he was sitting upon. His grandfather meant what he had said about the teen not going anywhere without an escort. So far he had been fairly lucky, because he was getting to ride around with his grandfather. Exciting things rarely happened in StoryBrooke, well for the most part, but that wasn't way he was glad to be with David. He was glad because he got to be there when the man found out anything on his moms' situation.

The teen had been sitting on the bench in the hallway of the convent for the last ten minutes with his grandfather. Mother superior had agreed to talk with Mary Margret, but refused to deal with Gold. Why David and Henry were waiting in the hallway was a mystery, but one of the other nuns, AKA fairies, told them to stay put. They both reluctantly obeyed.

Henry could see his grandfather was just as antsy as he was. He kept fidgeting with his hand and then he would sit and then stand and then pace. If they didn't come out and give the two of them some sort of news, Henry was going to scream.

Just when Henry was about to shout at his grandfather to stop moving; the sound of heels clicking on stone could be heard heading their way. The teen jumped up from his seat waiting for a familiar face and news on the current situation.

Mary Margret and Belle rounded the corner their expressions not what he was hoping for. Henry had hope they would be lit up with smiles at finding the right spell, but instead their faces were grim.

"More bad news?" Henry frowned.

"Well, sort of." Belle said with a tight lipped smile.

"What does that mean? Can we get them home or not?" David said running his fingers through his hair.

Mary Margret looked at him for a second and then said, "It is possible to bring them home, but we will need help from the only other person in StoryBrooke with magic, and that is where our problem may lie."

David looked as though he had no clue what she was talking about, "And who is that? Gold is already helping us."

"Zelena." Henry said making eye contact with his maternal grandmother.

David dropped his head, "Well shit."

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The wagon party had been traveling for half of the day when they finally stopped to rest. Emma helped Eladon and Cappi to give the horses' water and feed. Regina was assisting some of the women to preparing a fire so that they could cook for everyone.

Emma found herself trying to avoid the brunette. Deep down she knew she was being unfair to the mayor, but at the same time, if she didn't want to be with her then why did she sleep with her. Regina could have told her no, or… Emma sighed to herself. She just needed to focus on what was going on right now, like the queen offering herself up to Shaw.

The blonde leaned up against one of the vardos watching a group of children who had sat down on the ground in a circle and were now playing a game with rocks. As Emma watched, she realized the game was very similar to marbles and it made her smile. Not every second of her childhood was bad. She could remember a few good moments, even if there weren't many. That is probably the reason she remembers most of them, because they were few and far between.

"Are you ready to remove the curse on your magic?" Florica asked causing Emma to startle.

"Yes." The blonde answered looking back at the children.

The old woman mumbled something and then started walking away. The sheriff turned to look at her, "Wait, where are you going? I thought you were going to remove the curse."

"I did." Florica called over her shoulder as she made her way towards Regina and the other woman.

Emma was stunned and started following the woman, "That's it?"

"Yep. It was only a blocker. Your magic is very strong, I'm surprised you weren't able to bust through the curse on your own." She said sitting on a small stood next to the fire.

"If my magic is so strong, then why can't I take the cuff off of Regina?" The blonde asked.

Emma brought her hand up as she concentrated. A ball of white light began to glow in her palm. She smiled and then let the light die out placing her arm back to her side. As she glanced up she noticed that all of the other gypsies were now looking at her, some in curiosity others in fear.

"Worry not my children," Florica said to her people, "Emma and Queen Regina are on our side." She turned to the blonde, "Gypsy magic is much different than white magic or dark magic. Gypsy magic is more like curses, but not like the curse that Regina cast."

Emma tilted her head looking at Regina, who mimicked her confusion, "I don't understand."

"We cannot manipulate objects or send bursts of light and fire to attack our enemies. Our curses are limited to objects or people. Regina's bracelet was cursed by the most powerful chovihani. She is what you might call a gypsy witch." The old woman said as the women started passing out bowls of food.

One woman held a bowl out to Emma but she smile and put her hands up, "No thank you, I'm not hungry." She noticed Regina's worried eyes on her, and she looked away.

"Chovihani's name is Luminitsa, Esmeralda's mother." Cappi said as he took the bowl the blonde had refused.

Emma's eyes shot to him, "If Luminitsa is part of this clan, then where is Phoebus and Zephyr? She said she left them at her family's camp so she could help her father search for her mother, and if they are not with you."

Cappi looked down with sad eyes, "They took him and the boy when they raided our camp last. We were able to get Florica and the people you see here to safety, but the royal army took many others including them."

"Who are Phoebus and Zephyr?" Regina asked.

"Esmeralda's husband and son." Emma said locking eyes with the brunette. She could see the light go on inside that beautiful head and for a moment she thought she saw a hint of a smile play at the corner of the other woman's mouth.

Cappi continued, "It seemed that the army always knew where we were, but I guess what you said last night about the maid make sense. If Esmeralda talked to you two about where we were camped then she could have alerted the guards."

There was a long pause of silence and then Regina said, "I need someone to take me to the castle entrance so I can surrender."

Emma swallowed the lump that was trying to form in her throat, but she remained silent. There was nothing she could do to change the woman's mind. The worst part was that she knew Regina was right.

"I think you should take a couple of us with you as your prisoners." Cappi said looking up at the brunette.

Emma watched Regina widen her eyes in surprise, "Shaw would never believe that I captured you all without my magic."

"No, but he would believe that you tricked us into believing you were bringing us to see the release of our people, only when we get there you make it appears as if you tricked us. Shaw knows there are only a small amount of us left, but he doesn't know how many. If you bring, say three of us men, he will be very happy." Cappi said.

Emma watched the way Regina's face lit up at the man's idea. The thought of that man putting his hands on Regina made her stomach turn. She hated to think of Robin with Regina, but at least she knew he would never hit her or anything else as or more vial.

"Later tonight, the men and I will start placing the weapons around the slave camps. In the morning during the shift change, I will sneak in." Eladon said.

Emma remained silent, but her eyes stayed on the mayor. She hated this feeling of worry she had, not to mention anger at the General already for putting his hands on her queen. At this point, it was irrelevant how the brunette felt about her, it was how she felt about the older woman that mattered and if he laid one more finger on Regina, she would personally make sure he paid dearly.

"Cappi, you and Regina should get moving. There is a lot of distance to cover for you to reach the castle." The old woman said. "Regina, my child, stay true and strong."

"I will." Regina caught Emma's eye and smiled softly before she began helping the women gather up the breakfast bowls.

Emma reached up gently grabbing the brunette's arm as she passed, "Can we talk for second?"

"Miss. Swan, if you are going to try and talk me out of going, you will be wasting your time." Regina said straightening her shoulders.

Emma searched the other woman's face as if she were trying to memorize it, "I know, and I am not going to talk you out of it. I realize that this has to be done." She looked down to the ground and swallowed nervously, "Look, I don't know what you feel for me." Regina started to interrupt, but Emma cut her off by raising her hand, "However, I'm not asking you to say anything. I just want you to know that I am afraid for you, and I want you to be careful and come home safely to our son."

The blonde was fighting tears, but she was sure she saw the brunette struggle with her own. She delicately took the queen's face in her hands and pulled her closer only to press and soft kiss the older woman's forehead.

Regina didn't say anything as Emma started to walk away, but then she turned, "If he touches you again, he will answer to me." Emma's words were harsher for the anger she felt every time she looked at the yellowing bruise the mayor sported from her last visit with the General.

"Queen Regina? Are you ready to go?" Cappi asked from where he and three other men stood.

Emma wanted to grab her and kiss her, but she feared the other woman wouldn't want that. She had no idea what the other woman was thinking, she didn't even know exactly what she was thinking herself, but she knew she didn't want her to go.

Regina smiled at the men, "Yes, I'm coming." Her eye's never made contact with Emma's, as she turned to her, "I have to go."

Emma gave a tight lipped smile as she kept her eyes cast to the ground.

The brunette walked away from her, without even a look. That was probably the answer she was waiting for. The queen wasn't interested in anything other than the physical comfort they brought each other last night.

"Hey Swan!" Regina's voice called causing Emma to look up at her, "I'll be waiting for you to come and rescue me." The mayor smiled that beautiful smile and then spun on her heels to leave.

Emma couldn't help the smile that crossed her own lips. This woman was going to be the death of her. She had been trying to hate herself most of the morning for falling in love with Regina Mills, but then she smiled the smile of all smiles which only caused the blonde to remember the things that made her fall in love with the woman in the first place, and it started all over again.

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"Fuck off!" Zelena's voice echoed through the basement hospital ward.

David pinched the bridge of his nose in order to relive the tension headache he had gotten when he and his wife first started this conversation with the mayor's sister.

"Zelena, please. We can't bring them back without your help." Snow pleaded.

"Sounds like a personal problem to me. Why would I help you to bring back my sister? The same one who locked me in this room, and rubbed Robin in my face. What makes you think I would ever want to help her?" Zelena said sitting on her cot with her head rested against the wall behind her.

"Really? You want to bring up Robin? We know you two are still seeing one another. He has been cheating on Regina with you for months now." David snapped

Zelena laughed, "Yes well, Robin and I share something she could never experience."

Mary Margret raised her eye brow, "And what is that?"

"Love. Regina is not capable of that. Maybe with her son, but not a lover or a soul mate." The pregnant woman said as she examined her fingernails while sporting a Cheshire cat sized grin, "I owe my sister nothing, and I will not bring her back just so she can take him away from me again."

"You are a selfish bitch." Mary Margret said raising her voice as tears welled up in her eyes.

David grabbed his wife's arm pulling her from the room. After the door was closed he said, "This isn't going to work. We just have to come up with another way to convince her."

Mary Margret crossed her arms over her chest as she sighed loudly, "What other way David? Blue said we need Zelena's magic, without that…." She searched for the words, "Witches cooperation, we got nothing."

David rubbed his head and then looked around searching the room, "Where is Henry?"

Snow looked around, "I don't know, I thought he was waiting out here."

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Henry pulled open the door to the diner and walked in. He was still a little winded from his jog here all the way from across town. He really couldn't see what Robin saw his aunt, but he was trying desperately not to judge. He didn't understand how a woman who had never met her sister could harbor so much hatred for her.

The diner was busy, but Henry pushed through the crowd. He was searching for Robin and this is where he was staying. Well he was staying upstairs in the back, but he would most likely come here to feed Roland.

At the far booth he spotted Robin, Roland and Killian. He did not like the idea of these two becoming best pals. Not that it was a bad thing, it was just a little weird and he wasn't used to the two liking each other.

He walked up to the table, "Hey guys."

Both men looked up at the teen in surprise, "Hey Henry, what are you doing here?" Killian asked.

"Maybe I should ask you the same thing." Henry raised an eyebrow.

"I can assure you kid, that nothing funny is a foot. Robin and I came to an understanding last night on a few things and we are merely attempting to be mates." Killian explained.

Robin nodded his head in agreement, "its true mate. We are not scheming or making plans against anyone."

Henry could sense that they were telling the truth so he nodded his head. He then turned to Robin, "We desperately need your help."

The archer looked up at the teen with concern, "What is it?"

Killian slid over in the booth to allow Henry room to sit. He bent forward as did the two men and he spoke softly, "We found a way to bring my mom's home."

Killian smiled, "Well that excellent news mate."

Robin didn't look quiet as thrilled, however he still smiled, "Okay, then what's the problem?"

"We need Zelena's magic to open the portal." Henry said sheepishly. Before either of the men could speak, Henry continued, "Grams and Gramps were just down there trying to convince her to do it, but she refuses. Robin, you have to help convince to do this."

"I don't know if I can mate. Zelena has an unusual hatred for her sister." Robin said shrugging his shoulders.

"Really mate? That's what you got?" Hook said annoyed.

"Look, I love her, but I didn't say I understand her. Hell she doesn't always treat me friendly either." Robin tried to explain.

"The video tapes would prove otherwise, 'Mate'" Henry said. "You owe my mother, and not just because you are supposed to be this honorable man, and need to tell her that you have been cheating on her with her sister, but because she has saved yours and your son's life numerous times. How many times have you saved her Robin?" Henry said with a glare.

Robin through up his hands in surrender, "All right all right, I'll will try and talk to her."

"If you ever cared for my mother at all, you will make Zelena understand and convince her that she should do this. Please Robin. I want my Moms home." Henry pleaded wiping a tear from his cheek.

"He'll do it mate, I'll make sure of it." Killian said patting the teen on the back, but never breaking eye contact with the archer.


	17. Chapter 17

**Readers: Sorry it took me a bit to post this chapter, but here it is. I hope everyone has had a great couple of day and I hope you all enjoy. Thank again for all of the reviews and for all of you still reading the story, you guys really do rock! And again I apologize for the errors and poor grammar.**

 **Chapter17**

Night was approaching quickly as Emma sat watching the flames of the fire. Regina and Cappi were bound to have reached the castle by now and Eladon and his men hopefully had finished placing all of the weapons. As soon as the sun was gone, Eladon was going to sneak into the slave camp. The blonde just hoped this plan worked. She had no clue what she was supposed to do and it was eating away at her.

"Come child, you must eat to keep up your strength." Florica said holding a bowl out to the sheriff.

Emma smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. She took the dish and started stirring the contents with the spoon.

"She is must stronger than you give her credit for." The old woman said sitting down beside her.

Emma looked up at her and then back down to her bowl, "I know she is, but it doesn't stop me from worrying. I mean how am I supposed to rescue her? Every rescue mission I've been on, my parents or Regina has been with me. I am afraid I am going to screw up, like I do every time."

The old woman smiled staring into the flames, "You cannot believe in others without first believing in yourself."

Emma gave a small chuckle, "You sound like a fortune cookie."

"A what?" Florica asked tilting her head slightly.

Emma realized where she was and who she was talking to, "Nothing." She took a bite of the food to appease the old woman, but eating was the last thing she felt she should be worrying about.

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Henry's feet crunched loudly in the snow as he walked down the sidewalk. He was headed to the loft where he knew his grandparents would be waiting to tear him a new one for running off, but he had to see Robin. If anyone will be able to get through to the witch, it was him.

"Psssst." Henry raised his head at the sound in the dark alleyway he was about to pass, he couldn't see anything.

"Pssst. Henry." A woman's voice called, this time saying the teen's name.

The boy looked around to make sure no one could see him and then walked cautiously towards the alley, "Who's there?"

Briefly a figure came into focus as it stepped into the light. "Tinker Bell?" Henry asked.

She motioned him with her hand to come into the darkness, which he complied.

"What's going on? Are you the one who has been following me?" He asked.

Once he was away from the street, she spoke, "I need to talk to you about your mothers."

Henry narrowed his eye brows, "Why didn't you just come up to me?"

She smiled sheepishly, "I don't want everyone to know what I am needing to tell you."

"If it is about my moms, my grandparents will need to know." Henry said.

The short haired blonde began to pace, "I've screwed up again, but this time I think it might be worse."

Confusion swept across the boy's face, "What are talking about?"

The Ex-fairy chewed her bottom lip staring at the teen for a moment and then said, "Come with me, it will be easier to explain if I show you."

Henry nodded, "Okay."

The short haired blonde let the boy back to the diner. He wasn't sure at first why, but then he remembered Tinker Bell stayed in a room there at the bed and breakfast. Henry followed close behind as she opened the door.

"Henry!" Ruby shouted causing him and the Ex-fairy to jump.

He looked up to see the angry waitress storming over to them, "Where have you been? Your grandfather was just here looking for you. He and Mary Margret have been looking everywhere for you."

Henry smiled his best fake smile, "Just around."

Ruby looked from the boy to Tinker Bell, "Have you been with him the entire time?"

The boy could see that the blonde wasn't sure what was going on so he spoke, "Yeah. Gramps said that I couldn't be unescorted. I'm not, see" He pointed to the blonde who smiled and shrugged her shoulders, starting towards the back of the diner again.

"Where are you two going?" Ruby asked.

"Ummm, Tink is going to help me with an assignment for school." He lied.

Ruby nodded and then said, "Well I'm calling your grandparents to let them know that you are safe and here."

Henry smiled and nodded his understanding as he followed the blonde to the back of the diner. Whatever Tinker Bell needed to show him better not take long, because his grandparents would be here in a very short amount of time to give him a lecture.

He followed the blonde up the stairs and waited patiently as she fumble with her key until she finally unlocked the door. Stepping into the small space, Henry's mouth fell open at the sight before him. Pages like the ones in his book hung from string that draped across the room making zigzag patterns.

He slowly walked passed looking closely at each page, "I don't understand."

Tinker Bell swallowed, "Well, you are the author of StoryBrooke. The apprentice made me the illustrator." She gave another smile, but it was still hiding something.

Henry unclipped an image of his birth mother standing beside the dead ogre covered in what looked like blood, "What did you do Tink?"

"I wanted to help Regina and in turn help Emma." She started. "I had messed up a long time ago when I had convinced the queen that her soul mate was Robin. I realized that when I saw Regina and Emma together all those months ago. And then of course, when I watched the black cloud form over the sheriff when they brought Robin back here. Come to find out, the lion tattoo that I was so certain of, wasn't meant to be a tattoo at all. It was only a metaphor for bravery."

Henry was trying his best to follow the blonde as she rambled, "Okay, so what are you saying? Emma is my mom's soulmate?"

"Yes." The blonde smiled, happy the boy understood.

Henry's phone vibrated in his pocket. He put up a finger for the Ex-fairy to pause. He slid it out and realized he had ten missed calls and too many text messages to count, "Crap." His grandmother was calling him at this very moment. He had forgotten he put his phone on vibrate.

"Hey Grams." Henry said sounding up beat.

"Henry Daniel Mills, where in the hell have you been?" His grandmother's voice shouted.

"I had a couple of things to check into, but I am with Tinker Bell now." He said.

"We have been worried sick for two hours over you. Why haven't you been answering your phone?" Her voice cracked and he could tell she really had been worried.

"I'm sorry, I had it on vibrate and didn't know it had went off." Henry said feeling guilty.

"We are on our way to get you. Stay put." She said before hanging up in his ear.

He slid his phone back into his pocket, "You are going to have to tell David and Mary Margret all of this."

The blonde widened her eyes, "But they will be upset with me."

Henry glared at her, "Does that matter now? You have to tell them so we can fix this."

Tink looked as though she could burst into tears at any moment, but she nodded and let out a sigh.

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Hook stood outside the door of Zelena's room. He could hear Robin pleading with the woman to help Emma and Regina, but she continued to spit venom at the sound of her sister's name. Killian didn't understand. She had what she wanted, but she still wasn't happy.

The pirate couldn't take anymore, so he jerked open the door, "What the bloody hell is your problem?"

Robin's and Zelena's head popped up at the surprise intrusion. Hook's patience was wearing thin, "Look Love, you have your guy and soon his child, so help us to get Regina and Emma back."

"Why does everyone think I owe my sister?" The redhead asked in disbelief.

"No one thinks you owe Regina, it's just that we need your help to get the two back." Robin said sweetly.

The woman raised an eyebrow, "Why are you so invested in helping them? Are you wanting Regina back?"

"Of course not, I love you." Robin said taking the woman's hands.

"Oh gag. I'll never understand what you see in this one. Regina could be cold, but this one is just nasty and vial." Hook saw the glare the archer shot him, so he changed the subject, "All right, look Love. You don't like doing things out of the kindness of your heart, unless something is in it for you."

Zelena clenched her jaw, "What could you possibly offer me that would make me want to help bring Regina back? Look at me. I am pregnant and locked up in a damned psyche ward."

Killian stared at the woman for a moment, "Do you think I am thrilled to have the queen back either. Once she is here, Robin is going to come clean about the two of you and then I will be helping Henry to get Regina and Emma together."

The redhead tilted her head as a smile pulled at her mouth, "Emma and Regina? Oh you poor boy."

Killian did not want to have to get into all of the details with this witch. So he only nodded looked away.

"I promised Henry I would tell Regina the truth about us." Robin said to his new found love with a smile.

"She will only find other ways to hurt me." Zelena hissed walking over to her cot and sitting down.

"What do you want Witch!" Hook yelled in frustration. "DO you only want Robin because he was Regina's? Was this baby only to hurt Regina?"

Robin looked as though he was going to defend the woman, but then curiosity got him as he waited for his lover's reply.

She stared at the archer for a moment and then looked at the pirate, "Back in New York, yes. I only wanted to hurt Regina. The baby was actually an accident, which did help to aide in my plan to affect my sister." She closed her eyes for a second and then looked up at Killian, "But I did fall in love with Robin, and I want this baby more than anything."

"Then help us to get them back. Regina is not the same person she was so many years ago." Hook hated saying the words, but even he knew they were true, "She will be hurt that Robin cheated on her, but she will let him go, and without her in the picture you won't have to worry about her taking your little bundle of joy." He scratched his short beard with the point of his hook.

"Do you really think Regina would ever just let me be happy?" Zelena sneered.

"What are you babbling about? You are the one who won't let it go. The woman knew nothing of you, yet you hate her for the life she had. I did not know the younger queen, but I have heard stories of her. Your mother was not kind to her; I bet she would have traded places with you at any given point back then. Her life was the farthest thing from roses and sunshine Love. You have a sister and a nephew you don't even know." Hook said looking into the sea green eyes that stared back at him. "You need to get your priority in order Love. You either want a happy ending with your child and Robin, or you want to continue an attempt at revenge on the only family you have left, but you can't have both. Choose wisely my dear." Hook turned, walking out of the room. There was nothing left to say. Either the woman would prove she was capable of change, or she would prove once and for all that she is the Witch she wants everyone to think she is.

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The nervousness in the mayor's stomach was causing her to feel nauseous. The last thing she wanted was for anyone, especially the guards to see her throw up. That would definitely been seen as weakness. She had worried the entire journey here if the plan would go off without a hitch, but she also worried about Emma. She didn't want her rushing in to save her on a whim, like she did with the ogre. She couldn't afford for the blonde to be careless when dealing with Shaw. He would kill her without blinking an eye. At this moment, besides something horrible happening to Henry, that would be the worst thing that could happen to the queen.

Regina and the four men who were with her were less than a mile from her castle. The thought of all of the things that had taking place in 'her' castle, didn't help her queasiness. She swallowed down the urge to empty her stomach. Then her thought drifted to Esmeralda and Sarah. She hoped they were far from here or the maid would surely expose her.

"You all right, your highness?" Cappi asked as he walked beside her.

She smiled slightly, "Yes." She wanted to tell him how she was feeling, but she didn't know him well enough. Not to mention there was only one person she had told most of her secrets to and that was Henry. Maybe one day Emma.

"Emma loves you." It was a statement rather than a question that the man made so Regina didn't respond instead she continued walking.

"You love her too." Again, the man made a statement. This time Regina glanced over at him.

"Are you attempting to bond with me Gypsy?" Regina asked in her Madame Mayor tone.

Cappi laughed, "I wouldn't dream of it your majesty." He shook his head, "Look I know it's not my business." Cappi started but was interrupted.

"You're right; it's not your business." Regina hissed.

Cappi continued to smile, "Emma was very upset this morning, so I went to talk to her. She told me a little about the situation, so therefore she made it my business as her friend." The queen frowned at the memory of this morning. The blonde hadn't let her explain, she just ran out.

"And beside that, if you did not want it to be everyone one else's business, then maybe you should be quieter when you are alone with Emma at night." Cappi said and the other three men chuckled.

Regina's heart seemed to stop for a brief moment and her cheeks reddened. She had not even considered the others hearing her. It was official, she was embarrassed, and maybe even a little mortified knowing the old woman probably heard her too.

"How about we just concentrate on the task at hand." Regina said a little more snarky than she had intended, but she really didn't want to discuss her sex life with a stranger. She did find herself wondering how much of their situation the sheriff had shared with the man.

A carriage could be heard rounding the bend up ahead and Regina noticed how close the castle was now.

"Hold it right there." A royal guard said as he stepped out from behind a tree near the side of the road.

"I request an audience with the General." Regina said.

Almost at once a half dozen more guards stepped out from behind neighboring trees with their weapons drawn; the general is on his way as we speak." The guard said gesturing towards the nearing carriage.

The driver of the carriage pulled back on his reigns causing the horses to stop. One guard rushed over to the door and opened it. Regina had been dreading even seeing Shaw's face again, but it was inevitable and she rather deal with him sooner rather than later.

The carriage dipped down as the man stepped out onto the gravel road. He still wore his black leather attire, which made the queen cringe on the inside. Even she knew no one could pull off leather like she could, well Emma had done a fine job in those pants of hers, but this guy couldn't hold a candle to either woman.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't her majesty. I do hope you haven't returned with these poor excuses for men, in a weak attempt to regain your throne." Shaw said in a weird chuckle.

"Of course not dear. I thought you would like my gift." She pointed towards the four gypsies.

"What are you talking about? You told us you could use your magic to get our people back." Cappi growled with a little dramatic flair. Had the queen not known their plan, she would have bought his performance.

Regina smiled her famous evil smile, and looked at Shaw, "I hear you have a new found interest in collecting gypsies. I have found four strapping specimen."

Shaw walked slowly closer to the mayor, suspicion in his features, "How do I know this isn't some pathetic attempt to be back in my good graces, I mean with you being without your magic and all?"

Regina wasn't sure what to say at first, but then Cappi spoke, "You lying bitch. You said you would help get our people back and you don't even have magic? This was a trap all along."

"What makes you think the Evil queen would help thieving gypsy scum? The queen never does for others unless it is in her own favor, dear." Regina said to the gypsy. The sound of her own icy voice made a chill run up her spine. By the look Cappi and his men gave her, they had experienced the same chill.

She kept eye contact with Cappi for a moment longer than necessary to ensure he knew she was still playing a role.

Laughter erupted from the General, "So my queen really is back."

He walked up to the brunette grabbing her by the waist and pulling her flush against him, "Welcome home my love." He said before crashing his bearded lips against hers.

The kiss only lasted a couple of seconds, but it might as well have been hours. Regina had never felt so vial or disgusted, but she had to do this. He walked over to the carriage and opened the door for Regina to enter.

"Guards, take these men into custody." Regina barked out the order as she gave one last glance to Cappi before climbing up into the carriage.

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Snow sat listening to Tinker Bell explain herself as she let her eyes sweep around the room transfixed on the images. Unfortunately the ex-fairies words never sank in.

"Okay, wait. So, you're telling me that because you made a mistake when you were a fairy, and now apparently you are the illustrator, that you've decided to take squid ink and a left over piece of wood that Gold was hiding and rewrite Emma and Regina's story?" Snow asked now looking at the short haired blonde.

"Something like that, but you make it sound a lot worse than my intentions were." Tinker Bell said with a sad smile.

David rubbed the back of his neck as he paced around the small space, "Are you the one who sent them to Story Brooke?"

The blonde woman threw her hands up and shook her head, "No. I was across the street from the station when Leon came walking passed. I saw him looking into the window and that's when I saw them kiss. I had known for a while that it was the two of them who were supposed to be together, but Regina seemed happy with Robin. I thought that the kiss would be the thing that brought them together, but them Regina freaked out and ran out of the station. I followed Emma to the cemetery with the intentions of talking to them, but everything happened so fast. When I got into the vault, I saw the broken vase and the two of them were gone."

"How did you know where they were?" Henry asked.

Tinker Bell looked at the boy, "Well, I had already taken the squid ink and wood. So when I came back here, I sat down at the writing table to think, but then when I picked up the wood it was as if it spoke to me. When I added the ink to the piece of wood, it became a pencil and before I knew it, I was creating these." She gestured her arm towards the images hanging around the room.

"How did you get chosen to be the illustrator?" David asked.

"The apprentice told me that I was never meant to be a fairy. I was destined to paint the images of our world." Tinker Bell answered.

"Where does the problem you mentioned come in?" The teen asked.

The ex-fairy swallowed, collecting a few drawings she had not put up, "When I am drawing, I can see and hear some of what is happening where they are. It comes to me in flashes. The problem is, that the General of the Evil Army has captured all of the gypsies and is forcing them to build his new palace. Emma is with the remaining gypsies, and Regina has just convinced Shaw that she is on his side."

Henry took one of the images she had in her hand, "My mom's not turning evil again, is she?"

"No, no, your mom is doing this to help the gypsies, but one thing you should know is that Shaw took your mom's magic." Tink explained.

Snow stood up, "What? How will she be able to defend herself?"

"That's not even the worst part. Emma is planning to fight her way into the castle to get the queen back." Tink said, fear lacing her voice.

"What? We have to go and help them." Henry nearly shouted.

David covered his mouth with his hand as he paced, "How do you suppose we do that? We can't even figure out how to get the portal open to bring them back, let alone get us to them."

"Robin is going to convince Zelena to help open the portal, when she does, we can go and get them." Henry said with a smile.

"What is this 'we'? You are staying here." David said looking down at his grandson.

"No I'm not. I am going with you, no matter what you say." Henry said glaring at his grandfather.

"All right, that's enough." Snow said heading towards the door, "We do not have time to argue over who is going and who is staying when the portal is not even opened yet." She looked at her husband. "I suggest we call an emergency town meeting. When that portal opens we are going to need all persons willing to fight, because it looks like our girls are about to start a war."


	18. Chapter 18

Readers: Wanted to apologize for the errors, and thank those who pointed out the misspelling I made of the word vile. I had actually spotted it, but when I was re-reading before posting, I forgot to go back and change it. Thank you all so much for your support with the story. Hope everyone is doing well and can't wait to hear from you. ;)

***********  
 **Okay. I would like to apologize for not warning anyone that there was a f/m part in this story and that it wasn't in the best situation, so i truly am sorry if I offended anyone. I did not put a non-con warning, because she was not forced to do what she did. She felt as though she had no other options, but he does not force her to do anything, therefore it is not a non-consensual situation. Just wanted to make sure that that was clear. I do not plan to put and other scenes that go this far with m/f characters in any other chapter. I do feel that this part was necessary to the story for the fact that it shows how far our queen is willing to go to make things right. So again, I apologize for offending anyone.**

 **Chapter18**

The carriage ride took entirely too long in Regina's mind. Shaw had insisted that she sit next to him. The whole ride was spent as he basically molested her while nuzzling her neck. Luckily his hands remained over her clothing, but it didn't make her feel any less disgusted. She hoped she was playing along well, because it was taking every ounce of her will power to allow him to violate her to this point, she didn't know what she would do when he wanted more, and he would want more.

The carriage came to a halt, and a guard opened the door, allowing excessive light from his torch to come flooding in causing the queen to squint. He offered his hand to help her down and she took it. Stepping onto the snow covered ground she looked around in hopes she might know where they were. She could help the look of shock that crossed her face as her eyes adjusted to their surroundings. Shaw had yet to see her face so she quickly attempted to make it more neutral.

Hundreds, if not thousands of people, men, woman, and even children were moving about the construction site. Wheelbarrows where filled with rocks were being pushed about. Men with sledgehammers were busting larger rocks up and a group of children loaded them into the empty wheel barrows. The people were dirty, and obviously tired. Some looked as though they could fall over at any minute from exhaustion and from the bony stature of the people she could tell they were not being fed properly.

"What do you think my Love? I am building a bigger and better palace for us." Shaw asked as he stepped up behind her.

Regina struggled with her emotions. She wished she had her magic, because she would so set his ass on fire, but because she had nothing, she turned slowly towards him with her best Evil smirk, "Dear, you shouldn't have."

Had she been this cruel while she was queen? Would she have done this to an entire race of people? Her mind flashed back to Henry's reading assignment of the Diary of Anne Frank and it made her want to vomit. This situation did not seem much different than what was going on in that story to her.

She had yet to change into her evil queen attire and still wore her black leather pants, and fur tunic. This made it that much more difficult for her to act like Queen Regina because she felt no different than the people she watched move about the construction site.

"Come my queen; let me show you around our future home." Shaw said as he offered his elbow for the mayor to take.

Regina was still fighting to keep her persona up, so she only curled her lips up into a smile and nodded her head placing her hand through the offered arm.

Guards walked alongside them as Shaw gave Regina the tour through the construction site as if they were the secret service. She could definitely see where the man should want protection, because even she wanted him dead after seeing this.

He smiled brightly as he pointed out where different rooms would be located and how he would make sure that she had a special room all to herself. After a while his voice seemed to go on mute as she looked around. The mayor was trying to avoid eye contact with any of the gypsies, for she was afraid of what she would see.

An old man struggling to push a wheelbarrow, was headed near them. His eyes were sunken into his head and he was only half of what his body weight should have been. The man's clothes were torn and tattered, and white rock dust covered his skin and hair.

As he grew closer, he stumbled and the contents in the wheelbarrow tumbled out onto the ground, send smaller rocks and pebbled bouncing across the General's and Regina's feet.

"You idiot! How dear you be so incompetent in the presence of the Queen!" Shaw shouted as he stomped towards the man.

The old man was struggling to put the wheelbarrow upright, "I'm so sorry your majesty! Please forgive me." His voice was horse and barely a whisper as he looked briefly up into Regina's eyes.

A guard stepped up slapping the man hard across the face knocking his frail body off his feet, "You bow when you are in the presence of a queen Fool!"

Regina flinched when guard kicked the old man while he was on the ground, "Harold this really isn't necessary." She said using everything in her to keep her expression as neutral as she could.

The general turned to look at her, "Is there a problem with how I run things?" Anger was rising in the man and she had to keep him calm.

"Of course not, Dear. I only meant that we were having such a lovely time and I don't want one clumsy old man to ruin the mood." Regina smiled up at him.

Shaw stared at her, letting his eyes sweep over her features and then a slight smile pulled at his mouth, "Well then, shall we continue?"

Regina stepped closer to the man and smiled seductively, reaching up and grabbing the chain on his armor chest plate, she pulled his body to hers. She hoped her eyes did not give her true feeling away as she crashed her lips into his. When she pulled back, she could tell by the look in the general's face that it had worked.

He smiled down at her, "Perhaps we will postpone this tour for another time, my queen. I think we should head towards our camp now."

Regina felt a moment of panic as she followed. Her eyes swept over the gypsies that had been watching the scene. Her eyes landed on a familiar face. It was Eladon, he had successfully gotten into the camp. He gave the slightest of nods in her direction as their eyes met. Regina knew it was his way of thanking her for trying to protect the old man. She winked, but then let her eyes train back in the direction they were headed.

When they returned to the carriage, Shaw opened the door and offered his hand to the queen. She smiled and took it as she climbed up. She felt his hand on her lower back as she stepped up and then it slid down to her bottom as she ducked to enter the small door way. She swallowed again. This time it was to keep the contents of her stomach exactly where they were.

Regina slid into her seat and Shaw slid in almost on top of her. He kissed her forcefully and his hands roughly fondled her body. She was finding it hard to breath. She had done so many bad things when she was the Evil queen. Situations like this should be second nature to her, but it wasn't. She didn't want this, she wanted Emma.

Her mind was racing as his coarse beard ground into the soft skin of her neck. His hand was under her tunic, harshly squeezing her breast, "I think I am finding this attire much more appealing my queen." His other hand moved to the laces of her leather pants.

Regina couldn't do this. There was no way she would be able to look at Emma if she allowed him to have his way. She pushed his hand away and then slowly pushed him back against the carriage seat. "We won't be able to do that just yet," She said leaning into kiss him.

He narrowed his eyes as he pulled away from the kiss, "And why is that?"

"Because it is that time of month my love, but I shall make sure you are pleased before we part my dear." She lied.

He cocked his head in curiosity, as he watched her every move. Regina slowly unbuckled his belt and then unfastened the four buttons on his pants. She was fighting with her inner self. This was one of the last things on earth she wanted to do, but it would be worse if she had sex with him, and if she didn't do this, she would be letting all of those people down. She swallowed the bile that threatened to rise and slowly lowered her head.

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"If everyone would settle down…" Mary Margret's words were drowned out by the many voices that were speaking in the crowded town hall. Her patience had long ran out with the last week of worry and stress over finding her daughter and ex-stepmother.

"Shut up!" She yelled causing instant silence to fill the room.

She could see the surprised look on her husband and grandson's face, but she was not in the mood for niceties.

"Is everyone finished?" Every person could tell that the question was rhetorical. "Good. As I am sure you have all heard by now, Emma and Regina have been transported back to the Enchanted Forest."

There were a few gasps, which alerted her that not all of the residents gossip, "We have been working day and night in an attempt to find a way to bring them back."

"And did you find a way?" Doc asked from his seat beside Archie.

Mary Margret let her eyes fall on the dwarf, "Yes we have. We are still working out all of the details, but we do have a way."

"What does this have to do with us? I mean if you have already found a way to bring them back?" Geppetto asked.

"It's more complicated than that. I know many of you have wanted to go back to the Enchanted Forest to look for loved ones." Snow said.

Curiosity and suspicion crossed many of the resident's faces. Granny stood up, "All right Mary Margret, stop beating around the bush and spit it out girl."

Snow looked at David and then back to the crowd, "There is a war starting and we need your help."

"A war?" A voice from the crowd asked.

"Look, I know most of you are farmers and merchants, but Regina's dark army General has taken over the Dark kingdom. He has captured and enslaved most of the gypsies from our land to build his new palace. Emma and Regina have just gotten themselves in the middle and they need our help."

"Why should we help? This is Regina's mess; she should have to clean it up." Leroy huffed.

Ruby stood up, "I'm in. I'm not a coward like others." she said looking straight at the crabby dwarf. "Besides, Emma and Regina are both my friends, and I know they would do the same for any one of us."

"I don't know what rock you have been hiding under sister, but Regina would not willingly help any of us." Leroy hissed standing up.

Rubies eye glowed an eerie yellow as a low inhuman growl came from her throat, "If she wanted any of us dead, you would have been at the top of that list Ass Hat!"

"Stop it!" Henry yelled. "My mom hasn't done anything to any of you in a long time. Even when she had a slight relapse in judgment when her mom was here, she didn't do anything to any of you."

"Henry's right. I tricked her into killing her own mother, and she still didn't do anything to me or anyone else. So if you want to get right down to it, I'm worse than her." Snow said with sadness in her eyes.

"Fine. How do we get to the Enchanted Kingdom?" Leroy asked rolling his eyes.

"I believe that's where I come in." Zelena said walking into the room followed by Robin and Hook.

Gasps waved through the crowd as they parted to let the witch make her way to the stage.

Snow looked curiously at the woman, "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Let's not get dwell on my motives. It's not like you have any other options princess." She smirked.

Snow would never be able to trust this woman fully, but she was right, they didn't have any other options. The short haired brunette glanced over at Robin and then to Hook. Killian gave a tight lipped smiled, to show he was still on board with operation SwanQueen, even if his eyes were not.

"What! She is our way to the Enchanted Forest?" Leroy shrieked.

"Yes. She is the only one who is able to open the portal." David said.

There were a lot of sighs and eyes rolls that erupted from crowd.

Zelena laughed, "Thanks for the boast of confidence. I have no intentions of sharing with anyone of you why I am agreeing to do this, but you will be thanking me later. Now, if there are no more complaints or squabbling to be done, I would like to get this show on the road, as they like to say here."

Snow's eyes met those of her husbands, and then her grandson's. Henry nodded for her to continue, "I am not forcing any of you to fight beside me, but I am asking. Those of you who do not wish to fight or who cannot, you are free to go about your business. Those of you who are willing to stand beside us, I will expect see you at the vault at midnight."

For some reason she found herself conflicted with worry that no one would join them and at the same time there was anger at the thought that no one would join them. She marched off of the stage and out of the town hall with her grandson, husband, Belle, the Imp, the archer, the pirate, and the witch in tow. She felt fierce, but she knew the group she was with looked more like the starts of a bad joke.

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Emma paced around the fire lost in her thoughts. Her magic was like electricity beneath her skin and all of her senses seemed adept. All she could imagine was blasting the General into a million pieces, for what he had done to Regina, and for what he could be doing to her right now.

A sudden overwhelming feeling of nausea rushed over her causing her to run behind one of the vargos and empty her stomach. After several heaves, she leaned weakly into the side of the wagon to catch her breath. What the hell was that? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. An image of what seemed like Regina flashed behind her eyes. She opened her eyes in surprise and looked around.

"Regina?" She whispered.

She closed her eyes again and the image returned. Regina was on her knees beside a large white tent, heaving. She appeared to be alone, and at first Emma was afraid she had taken ill. When the queen stood and turned, Emma could she the tears in her eyes and a feeling of disgust washed over the blonde.

Emma opened her eyes panting. Why was she seeing and feeling Regina?

"I was wondering when that was going to happen?" Florica's voice asked quietly from beside her.

Emma looked over at her startled, "What was that?"

The old woman placed a small, yet comforting hand on the blonde's arm, "That was your magic connecting with your soulmates. With practice, and of course the return of the queen's own magic, you will both be able to communicate with one another no matter where you are."

"So she can't feel me like I feel her?" Emma asked.

"I'm not entirely sure, but it would be difficult. You do have stronger magic than her so I suppose anything is possible." The old woman said with a smile.

"I have to go to her. Shaw has done something and I have to go and protect her." Emma said as her heart began beating faster and panic was setting in at what she had just witnessed.

"Emma, you cannot go to her yet. It will ruin everything we are working towards." Florica said grabbing the blonde's hand in an attempt to comfort her.

"How long? I can't leave her with him. She shouldn't even be there." Emma said, tear welling up in her eyes.

"Please, child, have patience. You will get your queen, as we will get our people." The old woman smiled, "Come, have some tea and sit by the fire."

The blonde wanted to scream that she didn't want the woman's damned tea. She wanted to run to Regina and kill the general. She rubbed her face in frustration, and then let out a breath of air. She had ran out of patience long ago, but in one last attempt to do things the right way she silently followed the old woman to the fire, where two men and one woman sat sharping their weapons. Four… that was all the people that they had to fight including her. She shook her head to herself, there was no way they could win this.

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Regina slipped back into the tent that the General had set up for her. It was fully furnished, with many of the items from her castle room. Luckily for her, Shaw thought that it was best if she slept in her own tent.

She had felt something or someone when she was outside. It was almost like someone was watching her, but it didn't feel awkward, it felt comforting. Tonight was the first time she could feel her magic rushing through her body this strongly since she woke up with the bracelet, but the oddest thing was it felt as though a foreign magic passed through her. It had to be her imagination and nerves playing with her.

The mayor sat down on the edge of the bed. What was she doing? Nothing more than what she deserved, right? Self-pity was flooding her senses. She hated to wallow, why is she doing it now?

Her mind went back to the carriage ride. After she had finished pleasuring Shaw, he had grabbed her face tightly, bringing her up to meet his mouth with a rough kiss, "I knew I would break you, my queen." He said as he released her mouth and then let go of her face pushing her back while he buttoned up his pants.

The look in his eye made her feel dirty and small. This was the first time she had ever felt like a common whore, but with all of her might, she stayed in character as she scooted back to sit properly on the bench, "I hope I have pleased you."

Shaw laughed looking up at her face as she wiped her mouth with her hand, "You are just full of surprises. I can't wait to see what you have in store for me in the bed."

Regina's stomach rolled again, but there was nothing left in her stomach to throw up. So she tried her best to swallow the thought down. She felt like she had betrayed everything she had worked to become. She felt like she was betraying Robin, but even more she felt she was betraying Emma. Tears poured from her eyes without permission. She climbed up into the bed burying her face in the pillow as she sobbed uncontrollably.


	19. Chapter 19

**Readers: Thanks to everyone who is still reading. I appreciate all of your reviews. I apologize for any mistakes or errors, and to let you know there are no warnings to be concerned with for this chapter. I am sorry it is a little short, but I will post again soon. Thank you for all of your support, you're all awesome! I'm sorry if anyone was offended with the last chapter and for not warning anyone, but I am happy that some of you guys are still reading. Thank you! ;)**

Chapter 19

Henry leaned his back against the stone exterior of the crypt as he listened to the adults around him. Mary Margret was growing more and more restless as the clock near midnight. Not one person had joined them yet.

He watched as his grandfather and Belle attempted to calm her, "Snow, you have to have patience. Some of the town's people are just a little nervous about going to war." Belle said.

"Because they are cowards." The short haired brunette snapped.

"Awe, is our poor princess having trouble with her precious followers." Zelena smirked.

"Zelena, don't." Robin warned softly.

"You can't stop being a bitch for five minutes, can you?" Snow asked slowly shaking her head.

Henry thought it all a bit comical. He may have even laughed had the situation been different. Ruby, Granny and Ashley walked up, followed by Archie and Marco, "We are all behind you one hundred and ten percent Snow, but Ruby will be the only one of us going with you." Granny said. "Some of us will need to stay behind to look after things. Ashley here can take Neal, and Archie can sit in as mayor until our own returns, and Marco can sit in as sheriff."

"What? We didn't discuss me sitting in for the sheriff." Marco said with his eyes wide.

Henry smiled at the man's expression. Granny turned to look at the older man, "Don't get your panties in a bunch Pops. I will make sure there are other's to help do the actual policing, we just need a trusting person to stand in as a supervisor. I'm pretty sure, nothing too exciting is going to happen while they are away."

That seemed to aid in the man's relief. He smiled lightly and stepped to the side. Henry could see the disappointment in Snows eyes, "Grams, don't worry. Having Ruby is like having ten men on your side."

"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or an insult." The waitress said.

"It was a compliment. You could eat that army for lunch all by yourself." Henry hadn't realized what he was saying until it was already out of his mouth.

Ruby just stared at him for a moment and he put his hand up, "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant you can kick some serious ass." He had forgotten how she had eaten one of her boyfriends, and apparently it was still a bit of a touchy subject.

"Henry!" His grandmother scolded him for his language. "Please do not talk like that when Regina gets back, she will have all our hides."

"I know what you meant Henry." The waitress smiled and ruffled his hair.

Mary Margret took a deep breath and smiled, "Thank you Ruby. And thank you all as well. I agree that you all should stay to protect things around here." She lowered her eyes to her watch; it was now twenty passed midnight, "Well, I guess we better get a move on." She turned back towards the crypt. Henry stood to follow.

"Whoa kid, where do you think you are going?" David asked putting his hand up to stop the teen.

"With you guys to save my moms." Henry said.

"No you're not. You're going to stay here and help out around town, while we save your moms." David said, still holding his hand up.

"Come on! I can't sit here and do nothing. You of all people should understand what that feels like." Henry said looking his grandfather straight in the eye. Why did everyone still want to treat him like a child? He had gone into the book alone to help everyone escape, and he made it out alive.

Snow had walked up, "Henry, this is a war, where people will die. We can't allow you to go with us. Besides that, if anything happened to you, neither of your mothers would ever forgive us and we wouldn't be able to forgive ourselves."

David took his badge out of his pocket, "Besides, Marco is going to need a second sheriff to help run the station."

Tears well up in Henry's eyes, but he took the badge. He couldn't hide the disappointment that flooded his face. He knew the sword play him and his grandfather did from time to time was not even close to the training he would need. He felt useless, but he figured he would feel even more useless if he were to go.

Killian walked up to the teen placing a hand on his shoulder. He leaned in and whispered into the teen's ear, "You have my word that I will do everything in my power to ensure that both of your mother's return to you."

Henry smiled and nodded, but didn't say anything. If he were to speak now he would probably start crying like a baby and that was the last thing he wanted them to see.

"Oh for Heaven's sake, let's get on with it." Zelena said dramatically as she started descending the stairs of the vault.

Snow and David both gave a small smile to their grandson as he watched them disappear beneath the ground. He sighed loudly in frustration, but he knew him mother's would be upset if he were there now.

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Regina couldn't sleep. Her magic was dancing wildly under her skin and her dreams were odd. She had dreamt of Emma, sitting with Florica and talking by a fire. She had awakened feeling angry and scared. She couldn't explain it, but it didn't feel like the queen's emotions. It was as if she were sitting right beside the blonde, and experiencing what she was feeling.

She climbed from her bed slipping on her fur tunic. She pushed passed the tent flap stepping out into the cold night air. The mayor crossed her arms over her chest to block some of the wind as a shiver ran up her neck.

A walk might help, she thought to herself. She wasn't completely sure how much range Shaw had given her, but she figured she wouldn't know unless she tried. She wanted to get closer to the gypsies, in hopes of seeing Eladon. She hadn't felt this alone in a very long time and a friendly face could be comforting.

She walked passed many of the soldier's tents it was only a short distance to a barred fence. It separated the construction site from the camp. She had passed several guards who knelt as she walked, but other than that, they paid her no mind.

Regina walked beside the bars peering into the construction site. She could see that most of the enslaved people were lying on the cold ground huddled together to stay warm. She let her eyes scan every face she could see in hopes of finding Eladon.

She paused as a new bout of anger washed through her. What was going on? As quickly as it came, it was gone.

Hands grabbed the queen from the other side of the bars causing her to gasps and her heart to jump out of her chest, "Please have mercy on us your majesty." Regina stared into the eyes of the old man from earlier that evening.

She pulled his hand away from her tunic, but held it in her own, "It will be over soon, I promise." She whispered.

The man let his hollow eyes fall sadly to the ground as he backed away from her, his hand slipping from hers. She wished she could stop this now. The mayor was so helpless without her magic. She didn't even know what gypsy had put the curse on her bracelet.

Eladon appeared at the bars, "Your majesty. Are you all right?"

Regina looked around to ensure they were not being watched, "It's Regina, and yes, I'm fine. How are things going in there?"

"Its even grimmer than I had imagined. People are dying as we speak." The gypsy said as he let his eyes scan their surroundings, "I am talking with as many abled people as I can, but so many are sick and starving. Our hardest task will be getting all of the weapons I placed out there in here."

Things were starting to look more and more bleak. She couldn't see any way possible for the few gypsies that were going to fight with Emma, nor these poor shells of people she could see through the bars to be able to beat Shaw's Army. There had to be several hundred of them.

"Have you seen Cappi or the others?" She asked looking around the other man.

"They do not bring new prisoners here at night. They will have them put in the dungeon of the castle tonight and then bring them in the morning." A bald man said as his face appeared beside Eladon's.

"Your Maj…I mean Regina." Eladon corrected, "This is Beval." He pushed the nervous gypsy closer.

Regina could see he was afraid of her, but she rolled her eyes, "Hi Beval."

The man nodded his head and Eladon spoke, "He says that tomorrow, he and his crew will be led to the rock pile over there." Regina's eyes followed to where the man pointed beyond the bars. "He and his crew will sneak as many weapons in as they can."

Regina bit lightly on her finger nail, "Do you think this will take place soon after?"

She didn't want to be stuck with Shaw alone for too much longer. All she could think about was being in the sheriff's warm and safe arms.

"Regina? Has he hurt you?" Eladon asked in a low almost growl- like voice.

Regina shot her eyes up to the man pulling her finger from her mouth, "No." She let out a shaky breath. "I just want this to be over."

The gypsy gave her a sad smile, "It will be, your majesty, soon."

The mayor smiled back and then started to turn to leave, but was stopped as the bearded gypsy grabbed her hand, "Be careful my queen. Emma made us promise to watch out for you."

She choked out a soft chuckle, "Don't worry about me dear, I'm the Evil queen, remember?" She gave a weak smile before walking away.

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Rumple looked at Snow and David, as if to make sure this is what they wanted to do.

"Oh what the hell is wrong with you people? You act like this is a dire situation yet you continue to do everything in slow motion." Zelena's voice was really starting to ride on David's last nerve.

David nodded towards the imp and took a deep breath before slowly letting it out. He could only pray to whatever Gods were listening, that the witch didn't screw them over, again.

Rumple moved his hand quickly and effortlessly over the bracelet attached to the red heads wrist. It snapped open and he caught it before it could hit the stone floor. David disliked Gold, but he would be lying he were to say he wasn't impressed with his abilities.

"That's better." Zelena said rubbing where the bracelet had been for the last few months.

David's heart sank slightly at the loss of control over the witch. He wanted so badly to trust her, but she had yet to give him any reason too.

Gold passed a copy of the spell to the red head and she curled her lips upwards, "I see you don't trust me with mother's book."

Rumple raised an eyebrow, "It will be over my dead body before I let you get your hands on that book, Dearie."

The smirk remained on the red head's mouth as she took the paper, "Well, let's see here."

"Wait!" A voice called from the vault staircase.

Everyone in the room turned to see Grumpy appear and out of breath, "Sorry we're late, but we had to stop and get some supplies." He said holding up a bag that was almost as big as he was and by the way he seemed to struggle, it must have been full.

All of the dwarves piled into the room. Fredrick appeared from the stairs and nodded his head towards David. Other residents began pouring into the vault and the small room was getting smaller by the second.

"You might want to open this portal before we get packed in like sardines." David said stepping to the side as he made room for more people.

Zelena gave one of her wicked smiles and closed her eyes. Green fog began swirling and dancing. Rumble quickly placed the vase down in front of the witch. Her magic was moving faster forming a cyclone. Wind seemed to come from everywhere, causing everyone's clothing and hair to whip violently against it. The floors and walls began to shake with vengeance, and just when David thought he could not take any more, it stopped.

The fog cleared and the wind ceased. David's legs still felt a little wobble, but he hurried to his wife to ensure that she was all right. He looked around and could see everyone was still gathering their barrings.

"That was a little rougher than most of the portals we have come through." He said looking over at the red head.

She smirked, "The first ride is always the worst my dear prince." She moved her hands causing more green fog to swirl out. A doorway appeared in thin air. It looked more like a mirage, but he could see the vault through it, "I will be able to leave the door open, so more of your fierce army may come through." She said with sarcasm.

David was about to defend his people, but one by one, more people were stepping through. He was in shock. Nearly the entire town had joined their ranks. Just as he thought there were no more, Blue stepped through the portal.

"Mother Superior." It came out more in surprise, but he aimed to correct it, "Thank you for coming."

"Don't thank me just yet." She said looking at the portal from over her shoulder.

David couldn't see what she meant at first, but then Maleficent and Lily stepped through.

Everyone around them seemed surprised and a little fearful as the blonde walked up to the prince and his wife, "Know one thing." She narrowed her eyes at them, "I do this for Emma and Regina, not for either of you."

David swallowed but nodded his understanding. All he cared about was his daughter and the woman she loved and if it meant swallowing his pride and dislike for certain volunteers, then so be it.

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Emma stood from the log. Her legs were falling asleep and her ass was going numb. She was tired of sitting there watching everyone act so damned calm. The sound of the wet stone grinding against the metal of their blades was driving her mad.

The blonde turned to walk away when she heard the old woman's voice, "Where are you are going child?"

Emma didn't turn around, instead she replied, "I need some air." She continued to walk in the direction of the river.

She wanted to see Regina. She wanted desperately to know she was all right. She was kicking herself even harder for getting them into this. Then her thoughts drifted to last night and how she felt when she was with the mayor. Had she not screwed up and broke the vase, last night wouldn't have happened, but then the queen wouldn't be stuck where she was.

The rushing water of the river was soothing as she walked out of the forest and across sandy shore. Once she was standing beside the water, she closed her eyes.

"Regina." She whispered. An image of Regina sitting on the edge of a bed came into view. She could feel sadness and shame from the older woman.

Emma clenched her jaw. She needed to be with Regina, to hold her and to keep her safe. The blonde had never felt a yearning so strongly before. She tightened her eyes and concentrated harder, "Regina."

The Regina in her image raised her head and looked around. Emma was sure she heard her, "Regina, can you hear me?"

The queen stood up, "Emma?"

The blonde let out a laugh of relief, "Are you okay?"

She could see the sadness in the other woman's eyes, but the mayor answer, "Yes, everything is fine."

Emma saw it the instant she said it. A lie, but she couldn't dwell on that now, "Have you seen Cappi and Eladon?"

"Eladon, yes, but Cappi and the others won't be here until morning." Regina said closing her eyes, "Where are you? I can't see you very well."

"I'm by the river. It was a little stuffy sitting around waiting." Emma said.

A sharp pain ripped through Emma's head causing her to wince.

"Emma. What's wrong?" Regina asked panicked.

"I don't know. My head…" Another sharp pain ripped through her skull.

"Gold." Regina whispered.

"What about Gold?" Emma asked holding her forehead.

"I can sense his magic through you somehow. He must have found us." Regina smiled.

The pain in her head was causing the younger woman's concentration to weaken, "I will try to communicate with you later, okay. I'm losing…" Before she could finish what she was saying, Regina was gone from her mind. She wanted to cry out at the loss, but before she could another sharp pain washed over the blonde, this time it was more than she could take. Her knees folded under her and she hit the ground. Her eyes fluttered for a moment, before darkness fully engulfed her.


	20. Chapter 20

**Readers: Thanks to everyone who is still reading. I apologize for it taking me so long to post; things have just been crazy due to the holidays. I am going to work on the next chapter today and hopefully be able to post it in the next day or two. Sorry for all of my Errors and bad grammar. I hope everyone is doing well and that you all like the story so far. Thank you everyone and I will shut up now so you can read. ;) P.S., sorry if this chapter isn't the most exciting, but I promise the next will be.**

 **Chapter20**

"So did it works?" David asked as he stuck his cold hands in his pockets.

"We will see momentarily Prince impatient." Gold said looking out into the distance. A smile swept across his face as he let his eyes settle down the river, "Well this may be easier than I thought. Our Savior is only few miles straight up the river."

"Great, then what are we waiting for?" David asked ready to move.

"Perhaps we should have better attire for this world." Gold said.

"I couldn't agree with you more." Zelena said waving her hand causing everyone's clothing to change including her own. Of course her outfit was emerald green and fit for royalty.

Maleficent walked up, "Lily will stay behind to guard the portal. We have to make sure nothing gets into Story Brooke that we didn't invite."

"We can't leave her alone, how can we trust her?" Grumpy sneered.

Lily was enveloped in a green light and quickly transformed into her large beastly dragon self.

"You could always stay behind to help her look after the portal?" Maleficent asked with a slight curl pulling at the corner of her mouth.

"Nope, I believe she has this covered." The dwarf swallowed never letting his eyes fall from the reptile as he stepped closer to David and Snow.

David smiled and shook his head lightly, "Okay how does this locator spell of yours work exactly."

Rumble had been admiring the clothing the red head picked out for him, but then looked up, "Well, as you know, magic is much stronger here. The locator spell does not work like the ones back in Story Brooke, such as using a specific item to place the spell on and then we chase some floating light, but instead it attached directly to the person or object you are looking for. Since Emma has magic, I am able to connect to her or so to speak. Now her magic will pull me directly to her."

David looked at his wife and then back to the imp. He had only the slightest clue as to what he was talking about. Yes he had dealt with magic for most of his life, minus his time spent under the curse, but it still frustrated him when he didn't have magic of his own. At times it felt as if his daughter was in a completely different league than him or Snow.

"Before we get too far, we might need these." Grumpy just dropping the heavy bag he held onto the ground. Metal hitting against metal sounded from inside.

David bent down and unzipped the massive canvas bag. Opening it reveals swords, daggers, two bows and arrows, a crossbow and a few other odds and ends, "How did you get these?"

A smug smile crossed the dwarf's face, "We dwarves do have other talents, you know. Sleepy here is the best iron worker you might ever meet, but definitely not the fastest, and doc can work leather like no bodies business. Everyone else lent a hand where they could. As for the bows, we got them from Gold's shop. There aren't many Yew trees around Story Brooke so we just grabbed those."

David smiled up at the dwarf and then grabbed a bow out and passed it to his wife, the other he tossed up to Robin. After he passed out the swords and daggers, he turned to Gold, "Now let's go find my daughter."

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"Regina?" Shaw's voice called from outside her tent.

Her stomach rolled and she rolled her eyes. He was the last person she wanted to see right now, "Yes?"

He slipped past the door flap as he entered, "A guard had told me you were out roaming the grounds." She could hear the suspicion in his voice.

She straighten up her back from the vanity she was sitting and raised an eye brow as she looked at the man through his reflection in the mirror, "I was having trouble sleeping, so I went for a walk." To avoid an awkward silence she added, "This really is a lovey vision you have here."

It seemed to work as he walked closer with a smile, "I am glad to see that you are impressed, but this will be more than a vision soon enough my queen." He stopped behind her letting his callused hand lay on the exposed skin of her shoulders as he kept eye contact with her in the mirror.

Inside, Regina wanted to scream as she fought the violent chill that was threatening to creep its way up her back from his touch. On the outside she smiled from under her lashes, "I can't wait, my love." For a second she thought for sure she would choke on the last word, but to her relief it flowed out in her smooth sultry voice.

He smiled, "Well then, I will leave you for now. In the morning we shall continue our tour." He leaned closer to ear, "Until then." He places a kiss to the curve of her neck where it met her shoulder.

All Regina could do was smile at him as he stood. He turned and walked out of the tent. A breath of air left her lungs as she closed her eyes. She could only pray that Emma would be able to save her. She would rather die than lay in bed with him. She took another deep breath and slowly let it out.

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"My child, are you all right?" Emma heard as she opened her eyes.

She was still lying by the river, but now Florica stood over her. She sat up slowly, the pain in her head was still there, but it was more of a dull ache at the moment.

"Yeah, I'm good." The blonde said as one of the male gypsies helped her to her feet.

"What happened?" The old woman asked placing a hand on Emma's arm to steady her.

The sheriff rubbed her head, "I was talking to Regina, when I got this mean head ache."

The old woman raised an eye brow, "You were talking to Regina?"

Emma let her eyes sweep around her surroundings as she thought of what Regina said about Gold, "Yeah, she said she could sense Gold's magic, but then I passed out."

She looked back at the old woman who looked far away in thought, but then she let her eyes fall back to Emma, "Who is Gold?"

Emma started to tell her of the Gold she knew from Story Brooke, but then remembered they knew him differently here, "Um mm." She hesitated for fear of their reaction, "Rumpelstiltskin."

"Rumpelstiltskin?" The old woman gasped. "I haven't heard that name in many years."

"He has been in my realm for the last thirty years, but we call him Mr. Gold." Emma explained.

"Why has he returned?" Florica asked.

Emma could see the slight fear in the woman's eye so she said, "He has come with my parents, I'm sure. He isn't the same as when you knew him. I mean he is still a selfish, conceded, coward, but he no longer sparkles." She said with a hint of a smile, but the old woman did not return it, "But he won't hurt any of you. His wife Belle would not let that happen."

The old woman raised her eyes in surprise, 'So the beast was able to find love. For all our sakes, I hope you are right."

A dark purple cloud of fog swept in from what seemed like everywhere all at once. Suddenly more than forty or more people stood in front of the old woman and the blonde.

"Emma!" Snow yelled rushing to her daughter, David close behind.

"Mom, Dad." Emma said as she let them embrace her.

The blonde looked around the crowd and noticed nearly the entire town was standing in front of her and armed with weapons. She was a little more than surprised to see Maleficent, but who didn't want a fire breathing dragon on their side, right?

"Wait! How did you know where we were and that we needed help?" Emma asked in confusion.

Emma watched her parents exchange looks and then Snow said, "Well, You may want to sit down for this one."

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Henry sat at the top of the stone steps of his mother's vault. It had been a few hours since the last resident had descended them and the sun was starting to come up.

There was nothing for him to do here. Marco would be able to handle the station by himself. If things got crazy all he had to do is call one of the other deputies. Henry knew it was just his Grandfather trying to make him feel useful, but it was lame. He wasn't fully sure what he would be able to do if he was in the Enchanted Forest either, but at least he would feel like he was in the game rather than sitting on the side lines.

"Thought I'd find you here." Tinker Bell's voice said from behind him.

He didn't turn around, "Let me guess, you think I should be waiting at home, or better yet tucked in bed?"

"Actually, no. I wasn't thinking that at all." The ex-fairy said plopping down beside him.

"Well you would probably be the first. Everyone else seems to think I'm still a little kid." He frowned.

"I see a young man who desperately wants to help the mothers he loves." She said.

Henry glanced up at the woman then back down to the stone steps, "I don't get it. I know I wouldn't be much help on the battlefield, but I could have help out somewhere. I was in the book version of the Enchanted Forest and I'm still alive."

"Barely, if I remember correctly." Tinker Bell said noticing the look the teen gave her and added, "But I do see your point."

Henry watched the blonde stand up and walk down a couple of steps before she turned to face him, pulling out a small vial of liquid, "So I may have stolen this from Blue's room a little while ago." Henry eyed the bottle with curiosity as he waited for her to explain what exactly 'this' was, "This is special mixture Blue put together in case of the strange emergencies."

"What does that mean?" Henry asked tilting his head.

Tinker Bell scratched her head, "Well I'm not one hundred percent positive, but I do know it was important enough for her to hide it well enough that she didn't think anyone would find it."

"You don't even know what that stuff does, so how is it supposed to help us?" Henry asked.

"Well, I did hear Blue talking to Nova and a couple of the other fairies a while back. She said something about it giving a person increased strength or something like that." Tinker Bell said with a shrug.

Henry continued to stare at the woman. He was failing to see how this was going to help them while they were both here in Story Brooke.

"Oh come on. We both want an adventure and we both want to help save your moms, right? I mean this could be my change to redeem myself for the miss hap with the whole Outlaw-Queen thing." Tinker Bell smiled hopefully.

Henry looked at the woman and then at the vial. He didn't want to stress his family out any more than they already were, but he wanted to be there with them in the Enchanted Forest, "Are you suggesting that we go through the portal into a dangerous world and join a battle to save the Savior and the Evil Queen?" He asked with a glint in his eye.

"Well when you say it like that it sounds a bit scarier, but yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying." The blonde smiled.

Henry's smile matched that of the blonde's as he stood up from the steps, "Then what are we waiting?"

Without another word he followed the ex-fairy down the steps. Standing in front of the portal, Henry hesitated. He could only imagine what his grandparent would say when they found out that he was there, but not one of them, not even his mothers could say that they would not do the same if they were in his position.

Without another thought he walked through the mirage like door. For a second it feet like static electricity was all over his skin, but soon after it was gone. The only sounds that were left were of the birds as they sang their first morning songs which echoed through the forest.

"Where do you think you are going?" Lily said as she stepped in front of the pair.

Henry's eyes grew wide, "Lily, right? My mom told me a lot about you."

The darker haired woman expression seemed unamused, "I bet, now answer my question."

Henry looked at Tinker Belle and then back to Lily, "I'm going to help save my moms." He looked the woman straight in the face so that she could see he wasn't going back into that portal without a fight. He knew a dragon would have no trouble in placing him back through the doorway.

A smile crept up on the angry woman's mouth, "You're Emma's kid alright." She said as she stepped to the side and gestured for them to continue on their journey.

Henry smiled back, "Thanks." He said as he and Tinker Bell started walking. They had no clue as to where they were headed, but he sure hoped it was in the right direction at least.

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The morning had seemed to go smoothly without any incidences thus far. Regina had managed to have breakfast alone, which she was very thankful for. Shaw had announced sadly that he needed to leave for a couple of hours because of some business he needed to deal with in person. The queen could not have been more relieved.

In his excitement for their new planned future together, he told her that she was free to wonder the site. He was even willing to 'bend a little' as he had said, on any ideas she may want to change about certain things in the new palace. It took everything in her to not laugh in his face.

Once he had finally gone, she felt as if she could breathe again. She ate quickly and went back to her tent. On her bed lay one of her notorious Evil queen dresses and she rolled her eyes. The man actually wanted her back in costume. She sighed loudly, and started changing.

She hadn't gone back to sleep after talking to Emma. She had never experienced a connection like that, magic or otherwise. She had been worried sick about the way the blonde ended their conversation. She seemed to be in a lot of pain, and the only thing Regina could think is that it was the type of locator spell Gold had used.

Regina was finally dressed and even a little impressed with herself for doing it all without assistance. She stood looking at her appearance in the mirror. She had once loved these outfits. They made her feel sexy, intimidating, fierce and in some case even a little evil, but now she was missing her pinstriped dress pants and silk button up shirts.

The queen turned and exited the tent. She wanted to see how Eladon was fairing this morning. As before, each guard she passed bowed their heads, and then went on about their business. Not one of them gave her a second glance.

As the mayor neared the steel bars of the fence, she noticed a wagon with two guards roll up to the gate. One of the soldiers climbed down and opened the gate to allow the wagon entrance. It rolled to a stop a few hundred feet inside. She watched as the two guards opened the door on the back with their swords drawn and began ordering people out.

One by one, dirty, beaten prisoners were forced to join the others on the grounds. A familiar face caught the brunette's attention. It was Cappi and he and another man were carrying a long dark haired woman out and they placed her on the ground.

Even the woman seemed familiar, she Regina walked around the fence to get a closer look. Her eyes widened as she realized it was Esmeralda. As quickly as she could, she began running passed the gate and into the yard. The guards who had driven the wagon in stopped to bow, "Your majesty?" One asked in surprise to see the queen in such a hurry.

Regina stood up straight and brushed imaginary wrinkles from her black lace cover dress, "I was excited to see the new recruits." She said.

One of the guards raised a suspicious eye brow but then he nodded and continued his task. When she saw that neither of the soldiers were paying attention she hurried over to where Cappi knelt over Esmeralda.

"What happened?" Regina whispered.

"Esmeralda and her father were ambushed by some of Shaw's men. They were captured and taken to the castle." Cappi said as quietly as he could.

Regina looked around, "Where is her father?"

Cappi lowered his eyes, "He didn't make it out of the dungeon."

Regina's eyes grew wide as she gasped, "Oh my God." She looked down at the darker haired woman who lay motionless on the dirt. She gently moved a lock of hair from the woman's face and gasped again. Her face had been beaten severely. Her right eye was swollen shut, and lip was busted with dried blood caked in the corners.

Regina felt anger rise instantly, "Who did this?"

Cappi looked up at her, "Shaw's Captain. He was trying to get information out of him and Esmeralda intervened. After he had beaten her, he beat Fordel death in front of her."

Tears welled up in her eyes, but fire hot as lava was flowing through her veins as her anger grew. She knelt down placing a hand on the gypsy woman's face. She may not have like the woman in the beginning, but she and her father were the first to show her kindness. The main reason Regina didn't like the woman at first was because she thought she had a thing for the sheriff.

"Esmeralda!" A blonde man cried out as he ran to the darker haired woman's side.

The mayor looked at Cappi in surprise, but before he could introduce the man, he turned to the queen with a glare, "Get away from her!" He shoved Regina causing her to fall back in the dirt.

Cappi grabbed the man before he could come at Regina again, "Easy Phoebus, she is on our side."

"What do you mean on our side? She is the Evil Queen." The man was fighting his tear with his anger.

Regina stood up, dusting the dirt from her dress. Two guards came rushing towards the blonde man, she assumed for assaulting the queen. The mayor raised her hand, "Stop!" She said to the guards, "Go back to posts. Everything is fine."

The two guards pause but continued looking their way. Regina sighed, "I said, go back to your posts." She glared at them as she raised her voice.

The guards shared a look with one another, but then bowed their heads and turned back.

The mayor swallowed, she was afraid that would not have worked, but luck seemed to be on her side at the moment. Her attention went back to the blonde man and Esmeralda. He was picking his wife up from the ground. She wanted to assist him or offer him a more comfortable place to lay the darker haired woman, but she couldn't. She had never felt more helpless.

"When is your friend supposed to collect the weapons?" She asked more agitation in her voice than there needed to be.

Eladon ran over when he had seen what Phoebus had done, "Soon your majesty. I mean Regina." He corrected. "Just waiting for the shift guard to call the men for duty."

Regina nodded her understanding, but her eyes never left the blonde man and his wife as he carried her over to a pallet near a small fire only a few feet away. He gently laid her down and softly stroked her hair. The mayor started to walk over, but then she stopped. What words could she offer him? She was not known for her sentimental or sensitive side. Shaw and his men were going to pay dearly for this.

There was still nothing for the mayor to do other than wait, so she turned to walk away. Even if she wanted to stay by the darker haired woman's side, it was clear her husband did not want her too. She did understand why and he had every right not to trust, just as everyone else did.

"Regina?" Esmeralda's weak voice called to her and she spun half expecting it to have been her imagination. To her surprise the gypsy's bright green eyes were opened. The mayor hurried to her side, "Esmeralda." She acknowledged as she looked back at her.

"It's my mother." She said in a whisper causing Regina to strain in order to hear.

The mayor tilted her head, "What is your mother, dear?"

The darker haired woman strain and winced in pain as she attempted to sit up, "My mother is the one who cursed your bracelet."

Regina's was speechless for a moment. She looked at the blonde man who was a little bewildered at the inter action between the two women, and then she locked eyes with Esmeralda, "Where do I find her? I am no help to any of you without my magic." She knew she sounded desperate, but at this point she was.

Esmeralda was having trouble answering, so Regina turned to a wooden barrel filled with water. She grabbed a metal ladle that hung from the side and scooped out some of the liquid. She carefully knelt down in the dirt beside the darker haired brunette and gently eased the ladle to her swollen and busted lips. The woman took a sip.

"She stays by the Captain's side. He uses her to place curses on people." Tears welled up in her eyes, "He made her watch as he beat my father. He wouldn't even let her go to my father as he lay dying. He just treated them like they we some sort of expendable livestock." Tears rolled down her cheeks.

Phoebus pulled his wife to his chest in order to offer some sort of comfort. After a minute the woman pulled her head up trying to look around. Panic flashed in her eyes, "Zephyr!"

"Shhh…" The man cooed, "He is safe. A warrior I met on my way to find you took him. She said she knew a princess who would care for him and keep him safe."

Regina looked dumbly at the man, "You just gave your child to some random warrior woman?"

He looked up at her, "I had no other choice. Look around your majesty, how safe are the children you see here? Last night I witness two grieving mothers carry two dead babies away because their bodies cannot produce the milk needed to feed them. Everyone here is starving to death."

A tear threatened to fall from her eye as Regina secretly grieved for the two mothers.

"Pheobus, this is not her fault. She is trying to help us." Esmeralda said weakly.

He nodded his head to his wife, but Regina could tell by the look in his eye that he was still irritated or even hated the queen. She could only imagine the stories he had heard of her and it didn't help that Shaw sent his men to carry out orders in her name.

"When we get out of here, did she say where we could find her?" Regina asked.

The man's eyes fell towards the ground, "No. She told me her name and that she would find me."

Esmeralda's mouth fell open, "That's all you have? Oh Pheobus, please tell me she told you more." The darker haired woman let more tears fall.

The blonde looked at his wife and then up to Regina, "She said her name was Mulan, and that she was going to give Zephyr to her royal friend to care for." He hung his head in shame again, "I had no other choice."

Regina wasn't sure what compelled her to touch him, but she placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled, "Worry not dear. Mulan is a honorable warrior and Princess Aurora will indeed keep your son safe."

His and his wife's eyes shot up to meet the mayor's, "You know her?"

"Yes." She smiled at the man and then looked at Esmeralda, "Both women are friends of Emma's." She squeezed the man shoulder as she heard the darker haired woman let out a loud sigh of relief. Regina added, "I think we will see Mulan sooner than you think. There is something about war that draws that woman out."

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The old gypsy woman stayed back at the camp with a few of the woman and all of the children. Emma did not like leaving Florica and the others alone, but they didn't have any other options at this time. They had only just started their journey, and still had a ways to go.

Emma had wanted to leave the minute everyone had met her on the shores of the river, but Gold and David disagreed. They wanted to make sure they had a plan of action and a direction to go in. Of course the blonde's rational mind knew this was the best bet, however her heart strongly disagreed.

She had listened to Snow and David tell her of Tinker Bell and the book. Mary Margret had told her how Tinker bell had said she had made a mistake with Robin and Regina and how the ex-fairy was trying to right it.

Emma wasn't entirely sure what that meant. Was the ex-fairy trying to find Regina someone knew or what? She couldn't have meant that she was trying to get the mayor and sheriff together. Henry was the only person that knew how she felt about the other woman. She had not said a word to another person. Sometimes she wished that Mary Margret was back to being her friend and not her mother. She would have told her anything, but now after finding out she was her mother, their relationship had taken a serious turn.

When she had realized Hook was there, she wanted to groan, but to her surprise, he was acting completely different. He was a little distant and spoke to her in a more acquaintance way. She was curious about it, but she had more important things to worry about right now.

Her heart sank when she had caught sight of Robin standing with his bow. He looked determined to save the woman he loved. As much as she was glad he was here to join the cause, she was just as much disappointed. She wondered what Regina would do when she saw him. Would she leap into his arms and act as though nothing had ever happened? Would she tell him the truth, but say that it was just a lap in judgment? Emma felt as though she couldn't breathe. She needed to put it out of her mind as best as she could so that they could save Regina and the gypsies. She would just have to cross that bridge when they came to it.

Several times during their journey, the blonde could feel the queen. She had felt disgust, relief, rage, sadness, self-pity and finally hope. She had attempted to communicate with the mayor earlier, but after seeing Robin and Hook, her concentration level was crap. They were possibly half way to the castle when horses could be heard.

Emma shot her head up, as did Gold, David and the others. Emma's hands were glowing as she gripped the hilt of her sword she pulled from her back. Robin's and Snow's bows made straining noises as they pulled the strings back ready to fire. If this was the same guy that had chased the two women the other night, Emma was going to roast their asses.

"Hold your fire." A female's voice called.

Mulan appeared atop of a black stallion, followed by at least fifty or more men dressed in armor. Emma raised an eyebrow, but managed a smile, "Mulan."

The Asian beauty smiled, "I thought you could use a hand."

The sounds of swords being sheathed waved through the crowd, "We can always use a hand." David smiled and nodded.

"Well I couldn't let you have all of the fun, besides, if I remember correctly, our blonde Princess here has a way for finding trouble." Mulan smirked.

Emma threw her hands up, "Why does everyone think I always get into trouble?"

"Emma dear, how did you and Regina get here?" Snow asked looking at her daughter.

The blonde thought for a second, "Okay, good point. Shall we?" She gestured her hand to continue on their path.


	21. Chapter 21

**There is more excitement in this chapter, but I would like to warn everyone, our queen is going to have another rough chapter with Shaw, but nothing sexual, so we are clear. I plan to work on the next chapter and have it for you all before Christmas. I hope everyone is doing well, and thank you all for your reviews and support. Sorry again for all of my errors and poor use of grammar, I'm working on it. ;)**

 **Chapter21**

"You know, you're just making things more awkward by avoiding her." Robin said in a lowered tone as they walked.

Killian rolled his eye, "Really Mate, because your presence here isn't making things awkward either?"

Robin pressed his lips together and nodded, "I know how she feels about my being here, but you need to talk to her."

"Did you see the way she looked at me when we got here? I was the last person she wanted to see." Killian said as he stared at the back of the blonde's head from his place more than ten people behind her.

Robin chuckled lightly, "No, I was the last person she wanted to see. You my friend may have been the second person she didn't want to see."

The pirate glances over at the thief, but he was not amused.

Robin ran his hand over the back of his neck and dropped his smile, "I thought you wanted to help her be with Regina?"

"I do. It's just a bit harder seeing her in person, you now?" Hook said in a lower tone. He wanted her to be happy and he planned to go through with the SwanQueen operation, he just had to get this love sick feeling under control.

The archer placed a hand on the man's shoulder and gave him an understanding squeeze, "I get it mate."

Hook let his eyes fall back to the blonde. This was the God's way of punishing him for his hellish ways. Everything seemed so simple before getting here. He would step back and let the blonde have her shot with the Evil queen. He snorted to himself and shook his head. The Evil queen, he repeated in his mind. Back in Story Brooke he had full heartedly planned to ride shotgun on this mission and tell the blonde, but now he realize just how hard that was actually going to be. Just seeing Emma brought all of the old feeling back, and he found it hard to gain the courage to talk to her.

"Why are we marching to this place? Why doesn't Gold transport us like he did last night?" Grumpy whined.

Gold turned to the dwarf, "Because Dearie, there are well over a hundred people here, and I'm not able to. Besides that, I can only transport to location I know where are. We only have a rough idea as to where we are headed. We wouldn't want to be trasnported straight into our enemy's blade, now would we?"

Leroy's eyes widened as he pictured the scenario in his mind, and decided to keep his mouth shut and continue walking. Hook smiled at the look on the smaller man's face. He had always liked Leroy, not that they were best buds or even friends really, but his grumpy disposition always made the pirate laugh.

Killian scratched his jaw and sighed. Maybe he should just talk to her now and get this out of the way. He sped up his pace passing people in the line to get to the blonde who was walking beside her parents.

"Swan." He called as he came up next to her.

He didn't miss the eye roll as she asked annoyed, "What Killian?"

"I was wondering if I might be able to have a word with you, Love?" He swallowed, trying to hold onto his courage.

"Now? This really isn't a good time." She said with a hint of annoyance.

"I know, but I really need to get something off my chest." He said with a small, yet fake smile.

"I don't have time for this, Killian. Regina is in the middle of a lions din without magic. Hundreds of gypsies are being persecuted and forced into a sort of slavery." Emma snapped.

"Emma, he just wants to talk to you for a minute, honey." Snow said gently.

"Really? You too? Why can't everyone just leave me alone and let me think for myself." Emma glared.

"Emma, that's not what's going on here." David tried.

"I can't believe this. You are both on his side? You know I remember a time when you hated him." Emma hissed. Without waiting for someone else to speak, the blonde picked up her pace leaving the three to watch her move up the line.

Hook rubbed his hand down his face, "That went well."

Snow smiled sympathetically at the pirate, "She's just worried about Regina. She'll calm down."

Killian didn't say anything he just smiled and nodded. When had their relationship turned to loathing? The blonde seemed disgusted that he would want to talk and he knew she had assumed it was to discuss their relationship. Had she let him talk, she would have found out that he was setting her free.

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Henry plopped down on a log and sighed heavily, "We are lost."

Tinker Bell looked around, "Well not really. We just aren't sure where we are going."

"You know, I'm not a genius or anything, but I am pretty sure that is the same thing." He said, sarcasm dripping from the words.

Tinker Bell looked at him, "If I didn't know that Emma was your birth mother, I would swear you share the same DNA as Regina."

Henry stood up ignoring her, "What are we going to do?"

The ex-fairy dug around in a pouch she had around her waist. It was closely related to a fanny pack, except had she not been digging around in it, you would not have known it was there, "A-ha!" She exclaimed.

She pulled out another vial; this one had a reddish liquid in it, "What is that?" Henry asked.

"This is a teleportation potion." She smiled.

The teen looked at her questionably, "How does that work? We don't even know where we are going."

"We can head for your mum's castle." The blonde said.

He tilted his head, "Have you ever been there? Because the potion won't work unless you know where you're going." He said, and then added, "And I thought you could only transport if you had magic. I've never heard of a teleportation potion."

The blonde put one hand on her hip, "Are you a magic expert?"

"No." The teen answered.

"I have been alive for a very long time; I know more about magic than you do." She said.

Henry raised an eyebrow, "Really? Then why are we on a mission to fix your mess up?"

The ex-fairy put up her hands, "Fair enough, but we don't have any other choices right now. And yes, I know where Regina's castle is, I have been there."

The teenager let out a breath, "Okay, then lets do this."

The blonde smiled, "I will drink the potion, since I know where we are going, and you will hold onto me."

The teen stepped closer to the fairy. She reached down with her free hand and he took it. He was really starting to rethink his choice in adults he trusted. His mother, meaning Regina Mills would kill the fairy and him when she found out about all of this.

Red smoke began swirling around their feet as soon as the blonde swallowed the contents of the bottle. This had a different feeling from his mom's magical transportation. He felt as if he were flying on air when his mom had used it with him, but now he felt light headed and nauseous. He closed his eyes tight to fight the feeling of vomiting.

After a few seconds, it felt as if the ground was replaced under his feet and the dizziness and urge to upchuck was instantly gone. He hoped they did not have to do that again. The teen was pretty sure he would rather walk.

Henry looked down and noticed they were standing on a road, but he didn't see his mother's castle, "I thought we were going to my mom's castle."

The fairy looked as though she was still trying to steady herself from their journey, after a moment she looked up, "We are." She smiled and pointed, "It's just a ways up the road."

Henry smiled, "Cool."

"What do we have here?" A voice asked causing both the teen and ex-fairy to look behind them.

A black carriage was stopped and two guards walked towards them with their swords drawn. A man in black armor stepped down from the carriage. He slowly walked closer looking the teens clothing up and down, "I'm going to take a shot in the dark, and assume you are not from here." His smile was sinister.

Henry rolled his eyes and sighed. He knew exactly who this was from Tinker Bell's drawings. It was Shaw. What were the chances he delivers himself straight into the enemy's hands? All he could do now is keep him mouth shut on who he was. He knew that the book didn't tell everything, but he was sure his mother did not mention him to the man.

"Where are you headed boy?" The man asked.

Henry glanced over at Tinker Bell and then back to him, "We were just taking a stroll."

Shaw's smile remained, "Most people stroll with their legs, not magically appear in the middle of the road that is headed straight for the dark castle."

Henry didn't say anything as he looked the man in the eye.

"We were lost in the wood and couldn't find our way out, so I had a potion I bought off of an old woman. It brought us here." The ex-fairy exaggerated the truth.

The man's eyes slowly swept over to the blonde. He drew back his hand letting it crash into Tinker Bell's cheek. She stumbled back falling to the ground.

"Don't touch her!" Henry yelled shoving the man back.

Shaw grabbed Henry by the throat as the two guards stepped closer with their swords, "You are either extremely brave, boy, or extremely stupid." He pushed the teen towards the guards, "They are coming us."

Henry caught sight of the Ex-fairy as she dug the vial that they had just used out of her pouch. There was a small amount of the red liquid left. She looked up as Henry, "I'll find them." Just as one of the guards reached for her, she turned the bottle up and disappeared in a red cloud.

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Regina had convinced the guards that it was in their best interest to give food to the prisoners if they wanted to impress Shaw with how much more work could get done if the workers were full. She had personally helped pass out bags of rice and bread. She had never seen people so grateful. As far as some of the people knew, she had played part in their enslavement yet they thanked her for feeding them.

The queen had a slight set back when she had learned that the old man she stopped Shaw from killing yesterday, had died this morning. She had to make her way back to her tent in order to let the tears flow freely as she sobbed for him. She had given him her word this would be over soon, but as she always did, she let someone else down.

It took a while, but once she was able to compose herself and had retouched up her makeup, she rejoined in the efforts to make sure everyone who was able, had eaten. Esmeralda was moving around much better and even tried to help pass out food. The gypsy was a stubborn and headstrong woman, which only made the brunette think of Emma.

She hadn't seen Cappi or Eladon since earlier in the morning. The shift guard had called them to collect rocks and stone. All she could do was wait. She didn't even know if this plan would work. Not because it wasn't a good plan, because it was, but she was worried if the people would have enough strength to fight back.

Regina attention was drawn to approaching carriages in the distance. She noticed it was her carriage, followed by another. There was a slight sinking feeling in her stomach as she thought of Shaw's return. She knew he would be back, but the feeling of dread was uncontrollable.

The carriages pulled up to the gate, waiting for them to open. The guards on post opened the gate letting them enter. They stopped about ten yards or so from her when she saw Shaw exited one carriage and another man exited the other.

Regina could see Shaw talking to the guards as Esmeralda whispered next her, "That's the Captain." Regina could feel the anger inside her stir, but she knew she had to keep it at bay.

Shaw was now walking towards them followed by the other man. Regina's eye caught a guard pulling a dark haired boy from the carriage, but it was too far away to see any details. She must be missing home, because from where she was standing, he reminded her an awful lot of Henry.

Shaw was now coming up to her as her thought left the carriage and returned to him. Without warning he slapped her hard across the face and she stumbled back.

"How dare you waste my men's food on these thieving nomads." He sneered.

Esmeralda and Phoebus caught the queen as she stumbled back.

The captain stepped forward shoving the two gypsies back, "Get your filthy hands off the queen you worthless swine. He drew back his hand to hit Phoebus but Regina stepped in front of him.

"Have you lost your mind? I have only been gone a few hours and you are now protecting the prisoners?" Shaw said as he reached forward grabbing queen's arm, "I thought I had broken you, but apparently I was mistaken."

She could taste the irony blood from her lip. She couldn't stand for these people to suffer anything else from this man. Her feelings towards him have officially moved from disgust to sheer hatred.

The guard who had pulled the boy from the carriage had made his way over as he struggle to hold onto the teen who was fighting against his grip, "What would you like me to do with the boy, General?"

Regina's eyes settled on the teen. For the briefest of moments she thought how strange it was that he resembled her son. Maybe Shaw had hit her harder than he actually had. Suddenly reality came crashing back to her and her brain now registered Henry standing a short distance away.

"I haven't made my mind up yet. I think I may have him brought to my tent for interrogation." Shaw said. "It seems this one has a smart mouth."

Shaw reached for the boy, grabbing his shirt and pulling him closer.

"Leave him alone Shaw, he's just a boy." Regina said stepping forward afraid of what the man would do.

Shaw curled his lip up slightly, "Mind your business whore."

Regina could see the anger in her son's eyes, but she shook her head slightly, signaling for him let it go.

"Do you hear that boy? My Evil queen is going soft. It seems she has a soft spot for worthless rats", his hand gestured towards the gypsies in the camp, "And weak little boys." The general look at the Captain, "How about we interrogate him here, for the queen to see?"

The other man smiled evilly. He actually enjoyed his job it would appear. The guard, who had brought the boy, grabbed his arms as he held him from behind his back.

"Who are you?" Shaw asked.

Henry kept his eye trained on the General, "Go to hell." He hissed.

Shaw punched the boy in the stomach causing him to grunt and gasp for air. His knees were weak, but the guard held him in place.

Regina placed her hand over her mouth as she gasped. How had he even gotten here? She had to stifle the small sob that was about to climb from her throat.

"One more time boy, who are you?" Shaw asked.

The teenager flexed his jaw muscle, "Go. To. Hell." He said annunciating every word slowly."

Shaw back handed him across the cheek. An instant bruise formed under the red mark.

Regina closed her eyes as a tear fell. Henry had to at least pretend to play along, if he continued this way, she would have to step in and thing were only going to get worse.

"What is your name?" Shaw yelled in the teenager's face.

Henry spit in the General's face cause the man to blink and back up. He obviously had not had someone who wasn't afraid of him. He slowly pulled a white handkerchief from the arm of his chest plate and he wiped the saliva from his cheek. He placed it back in his armor and turned towards the queen, "Are you still feeling sorry for this brat?"

He drew back his fist hitting Henry in the face, nearly knocking him unconscious. He drew his arm back to hit the boy in the stomach when Regina grabbed his arm, "Stop it!"

Shaw glared turning towards the queen, "You are no longer in charge here whore." He back handed her again, this time she feel to the ground. He kicked her in the side before she had recovered from the slap.

"Mom!" Henry yelled through his now tear stained face.

Shaw stop in mid-kick to look at the teenager. Regina closed her eyes, Henry couldn't help it, but she was afraid that he had just sealed their fates.

"Mom?" Shaw said with a smirk. "I was under the impression you were unable to conceive my love." He said bending down taking the queen by the throat and forcing her to her feet.

Regina could see the surprise in Esmeralda's face at the new knowledge of the boy being her son, "Shaw, don't hurt him. He hasn't done anything." She choked out as the man's hand was still fastened a little snug to her neck.

"When did you plan to tell me about him?" He asked pulling her closer.

Regina was trying to think of a lie, "I was going to tell you, but I wanted us to grow closer first."

"Are you saying you do not trust me my queen?" He asked with a smile on his lips, but only darkness in his eyes.

He pushed her back causing her to bump into the Captain who grabbed her. Shaw turned back to Henry, "So you are the Evil queen's son. Well that does explain that smart mouth of yours. Now do tell me, where is the pixie that was with you?"

Regina thought for a second, the only pixie she could think of would have been the meddling Tinker Bell. She still had no idea why they would have come, these only added complications. She knew how this would play out. Shaw would use Henry to get what he wanted from her.

He walked back towards the boy, "Now answer me!" Shaw yelled.

Henry straightened up and squared his shoulders, "I'm not telling you shit."

An eerie chuckle passed the Generals lips, "You think you are so tough?" He turned to the captain, "Captain, lend me your sword." The other man unsheathed his blade and passed it over to his commander. "Release him." He ordered the guard who was holding the teenager.

Henry looked at the man questionably. Shaw held out the sword, "Take it."

"Harold, don't do this." Regina voice was strained.

Henry looked at his mother and then back to the general as he accepted the sword. Regina had no clue what the man was up too or what he was trying to prove. She swallowed as she watched in terror.

The general drew his own sword putting it up, "Come on then." He said to the teen.

Henry swung his sword at the man who effortlessly dodged it. Shaw laughed as he circled around. Again Henry swung at the man, this time as he blocked the boy's assault; he struck the teen in the mouth with the back of his hand.

Regina gasped, as she struggled against the Captain's grip, "Stop this Harold."

This only cause the man to smile more, "Come on lad, I know you can do better than that."

Henry wiped the blood that now seeped from his lip. He spread his feet and squared his shoulders. This time the General swung his blade and in a turn of events, the tip of the teen's blade sliced across the man's forearm.

In Regina's mind it was a victory, but in Shaw's mind it was the opposite. He swept his sword through the air connecting with Henry's which yanked it from his hand and sent it flying several feet away. Shaw lunged forward stopping just as the tip of his blade touched the teen's neck.

"Stop! Harold, please!" Regina pleaded as tears rolled down her face.

The general laughed, "Are you familiar with lions, my queen?"

The mayor eyebrows narrowed in confusion, "What?"

He added more pressure to the sword causing Henry more discomfort, "When a male lion wins over the alpha, he will kill all of the cubs that were fathered by the other lion, to ensure that all new cubs were his own bloodline."

A small sob escaped the brunette's mouth, "Harold, please, I'll do whatever you want. Please don't hurt my son."

The general stared at the boy for a second and then dropped his sword placing it back in his sheath. He nodded his head towards the guard who in turn grabbed a hold of Henry again. Shaw turned back to her and walked closer. His expression was one of disgust, "Who are you? You have become weak, you are not the queen I fell for." he said quietly and then he took her face firmly in his hand. "You will do everything I say, without question."

Regina swallowed, shame filled her eyes, but she would give her own life for her son, and she nodded in agreement.

The general shoved her back by her face, "Now go and clean up and fix your makeup for God's sake. You look like some peasant."

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Emma closed her eyes when a collection of overwhelming emotion swept through her. She fell to her knees at the side of the road.

"Emma?" Snow asked rushing to her side, her father close behind.

The blonde put up her hand, "I'm fine. Its Regina, something is wrong."

Emma didn't miss the look her parents shared.

"She has a strong connection with Mayor Mills." Gold said as he walked up. Emma looked up at him, "The old gypsy woman told me a little." He said to the blonde, and then he turned to her parents, "Her magic is now connected to Regina's."

Gold caught Emma's eye as he smirked, seeming to know something no one else was aware of.

"What does that mean?" Snow asked looking to the imp.

"Well it means that Emma and Regina can feel each others emotions and in rare case, such as this, they can communicate with one another telepathically." He explained.

"How did this happen?" David asked.

Gold let his eyes fall to the blonde, "There is only one way for something like this to happen, dearies."

Emma widened her eyes, from the look on the man's face she knew exactly what he was going to say. That because She and Regina had sex, is how they were able to share magic, "We are just connected here and the magic is so much more powerful here than it is back home." She cut her eyes at Rumple who was smiling.

"Is that true?" Snow asked looking at Gold.

The imp never dropped his smile or eye from the blonde as he answered, "Yeah, something like that."

Emma felt another wave of shame and anger and she closed her eyes again. Regina came into view and she was sitting at a vanity with tears streaming down her face.

"Regina?" She whispered.

The brunette looked up, but then closed her own eyes and whispered back, "Emma. He has Henry."

"What?" Emma asked in shock, "How?"

"I don't know. Now he knows he is my son and he is using him against me." Regina sobbed.

Emma let her mind drift further. It was almost like astral projection or out of the body experience. She looked close at the brunette's face and could see the bruised eye and small slit in her lip. She ground her teeth together, "He hurt you again."

Regina didn't respond, she just began wiping her face with a damp cloth to remove her runt makeup. Emma was so furious her magic flowed full force allowed her to reach out and place a gentle hand on the brunette's face causing the older woman to gasp.

"I'm on my way beautiful." Emma said amazed at how real the touch felt to her hand.

Regina smiled softly, "Hurry."

The connection was lost and Emma stood up, "We have to go now."

When she looked around, all eyes were on her. It dawned on her that it wasn't exactly a private conversation. They had heard everything she had said. It wasn't really what she said that had people looking at her as if she had lost her mind, but it was the fact that she was talking to herself, "I will answer any questions any of you may have about this, but not until we rescue Regina and Henry."

"Henry!" Snow shouted in surprise.

"Regina doesn't know how he got here, but This Shaw character is using him to get to her." Emma explained as best she could.

A red cloud of smoke appeared revealing Tinker Bell.

"They took Henry!" She said.

Emma raised an eyebrow in suspicion, "We just found that out. Would you like to explain to me why he is here in the first place?"

The ex-fairy swallowed, "He came with me."

"Oh Tink." Snow said with disappointment.

"I can explain." She started.

"Later, we don't have time now. We have to move now." Emma said anger returning to her voice as she thought of the bruises and cut on the brunette's face. Then she thought of the man putting his hand on their son. "Shaw has no idea who he is fucking with."


	22. Chapter 22

**Readers: Sorry it took so long for me to post this chapter. The Holidays have been crazy around here. I hope everyone else had a good holiday, no matter what you celebrate, and for those who do not celebrate at all, I hope your week has been well. I made this chapter a bit longer, I was trying to address a couple off issues between a few characters, but anyways I hope you all like it. Thanks so much for reading. Sorry for all of the errors in the chapter. ;) I wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year!  
**

 **Chapter22**

Regina had changed her dress and reapplied her makeup. She stared at her reflection in the mirror for what seemed like forever. It was almost as if she were staring at someone she no longer recognized. She wasn't entirely sure when she had first started to turn 'soft' as some might say, but she couldn't decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Everyone back home would say that the new Regina was the best, but here, she realized just how weak the change had made her.

She stood; smoothing wrinkles from black lace covered dress and took a shaky breath. All she could do now was to wait. She believed without a shadow of a doubt that the blonde and her idiot parents would save her and Henry. She just prayed to whatever Gods were listening, that it was soon.

The flap on the tent was yanked open as Shaw stormed in. He grabbed her by the throat and glared at her, "You have been lying to me this entire time!"

Regina was struggling to breath, "What are you talking g about?"

"This golden haired woman that you traveled with, she is the daughter of Snow White. How could you keep this from me?" Shaw asked tightening his grip.

The brunette tried to move his hand but he was far stronger than she was, but just before she thought she was about to pass out he released her shoving her back. Her hand rubbed lightly where his had been on her neck as she coughed.

"What else have you been lying to me about Whore?" Shaw asked as he eyed the queen.

Regina wasn't sure how to answer that question, but she was done playing a helpless victim, "Go to hell Harold."

The back hand across her face stung like nothing else, but it only fueled her anger, "I am not some commoner that you picked up on your travels. I am Queen Regina of the Dark Kingdom. You are nothing Harold Shaw."

The smirk that usually graced the general's face was nonexistent, "No, 'My Queen', it is you who are nothing. This is my kingdom now Whore and you will not forget it." He called out over his shoulder, "Sarah."

The maid from the castle entered through the flap with Henry in her grasp. Chains and shackles dangled from his wrists and his cheek was swollen and bruised from the earlier events.

"Are you forgetting our arrangement Regina?" Shaw asked as he walked closer to her son.

Henry glared at him as he reached out his hand to touch the boy's cheek. The teen jerked his face away from the man and Shaw smiled, "He resembles you in many ways my love, yet at the same time he does not."

Regina clenched her jaw tighter flexing her muscles there. It was taking everything she had not physically attack the man. She knew she would be no match for him without her magic, but at this point she didn't care. She wanted him to feel pain like no other for placing his filthy hand on her son.

"Sarah, honey?" He said to the maid.

"Yes daddy?" The girl answered.

Regina raised an eyebrow in surprise, but said nothing. She knew the wench was shady; she just wasn't entirely sure how she played the role. She guessed she knew now. The question was why were they keeping her mother drugged? She was really surprised that the woman was not in the thick of it with these two because Regina remembered how much the maid turned cook, wanted Shaw.

"Secure the Queen." He said.

Sarah smiled at the man, "Certainly."

She walked up to the queen clamping shackles to her wrist, "Not so Evil now, are you." The maid whispered into Regina's ear.

"I will rip your heart out for this." The brunette said with her voice low.

The girl chuckled, "You can only rip out hearts when you have magic, or did you forget?"

Regina moved her face closer to the girls and whispered her voice like ice, "I can assure I can still rip your heart out dear, it will just be a bit messier." She curled her lip up as she stared directly in the younger woman's eyes.

She watched the younger woman's eyes widen and heard her swallow. Most would have thought that to be some sort of intimidation tactic, but Regina meant every word of it.

"Now, tell me about this Savior." Shaw said stepping closer to Henry.

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"So are we even getting close yet?" David asked not meaning to sound nearly as annoyed as it had come out.

Mulan looked back at the Prince and then up towards the front of the line where his daughter was walking, "It will not be long now." She slowed her pace so that David could catch up.

He had actually thought that when he saw his daughter again, she would be in a better mind set than she had been back in Story Brooke. She actually seemed worse. He knew she was under even more stress worrying about Regina's safety and now Henry's, but he could still see the sadness he had seen before when he looked in her eyes. He so badly wanted to talk to her about everything, but knew she would probably push him away too.

"I see that there is some tension between Emma and the pirate." Mulan said nonchalantly.

David glanced over at the woman. He wasn't sure if he should tell her anything or just let it go. He thought about it for a few seconds and replied, "Can I ask you something personal?"

The warrior raised her eye brow at him with curiosity, "All right."

"You and Aurora?" David asked the broken question nervously and realized that he really didn't know how else to ask.

The woman dropped her eyes to the road they were traveling, "What about us?"

David cleared his throat, "I thought that maybe you could talk to Emma?"

The warrior looked at him in total confusion, "I don't follow."

The prince scratched his chin, "I mean, since you have felt the same way before, I thought that maybe you could talk to Emma about something."

The confusion remained on the Asian warriors face, "I like Emma, but only as a friend David."

David's eye brows shot up as he realized his communication on this topic was headed in the wrong direction, "Oh no, I didn't mean that." He sighed. This was not his area of expertise and unfortunately he was just realizing it as his palms were now starting sweat, He let out another sigh and stopped walking as did the warrior, "I mean", he made sure to keep his voice low, "Emma has feeling for another female and I don't think it is going as well as she would like."

Mulan nodded, but by the way her mouth fell open she was surprised by the information, "Oh, but what is it you want me to say to her?"

"I don't know. She won't talk to us right now and I know it is bad timing, but when is it ever good timing for any of us?" David asked as he started to walk again.

"How do you know she will talk to me?" Mulan asked.

David smiled slightly, "I don't, but you are one of the few people who knows what she is going through."

The warrior nodded her head in agreement, "I will try, but I make no promises and, I will only tell you if she is okay or not, but I will not repeat what she tells me."

David smiled showing teeth, "I'll take it."

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It was his fault this was happening. Had he just kept his mouth shut, he wouldn't have seen his mom like that. He had only seen her cry a few times in his life, and to be honest, it was the worst thing he could ever witness. He used to hear her late at night when he would get up. He wasn't sure what she was upset about, but hearing the strongest person he knew sob was the worst sound in the world.

"Okay. This is how this is going to work." The captain walked up to the teen with his same evil smile. Henry was pretty sure his face was stuck like that, "Every time I ask you a question." He said looking at Henry, "And you do not answer me or are not honest with me then I will inflict pain on your mother." The man turned to the mayor, "And when I ask you a question and I do not like the response, I will in turn inflict pain on your son."

Henry didn't miss the fear that flashed in his mother's eyes. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was for screwing everything up, but he knew the last thing he needed to do was show this man any more weakness, however he was going to have to be more mature about his answers to the man.

"Okay, now that we are clear, I will start with you, lad." The general said with a slight smirk.

"Where is the pixie that was with you on the road?" He asked calmly.

Henry didn't want to answer, but that would only make things worse, "She's not a pixie."

Without warning, the captain slapped the queen across the face.

The teen gasped keeping his eyes on his mother, "I'm telling you the truth. She used to be a fairy, but she disobeyed the fairy queen and Blue took her wings."

"Oh, so you are on a first name basis with the queen of the fairies?" Shaw asked rhetorically or at least Henry hoped. "Where was she going?"

Henry looked at his mother again. She looked so frail to him in this moment and it angered him, "She went to warn Emma." He answered.

"Henry." Regina somewhat scolded him.

Shaw looked to the queen and then back to the teen and smiled, "And who is Emma?"

"The Savior." Henry said with a slight curl at the corner of his mouth.

Shaw slapped the boy causing his head to turn, the slight smile the teen had, remained.

"He's telling you the truth!" Regina shouted.

"It's not your turn to speak your majesty." Shaw said nodding his head towards the Captain who slapped her again.

Henry's evil smile remained, "You will be sorry when they get here."

Shaw tilted his head, "Who is 'they'?"

"The White Army." The teen said calmly.

Shaw started laughing and turned to the captain who in turn was laughing. The general looked back to the boy, "The White Kingdom was destroyed when your mother here, cast her curse."

Henry pulled his face up into a full smile, "I will gladly introduce you to my grandparents when they arrive."

Shaw furrowed his brows, "Your grandparents?"

"Snow White and Prince Charming along with a very unfriendly dragon, a hungry werewolf, a few dwarves and almost everyone else from home." Henry said.

The teen let his eyes meet his mother's and he could see that she too was a bit stunned by the new information.

Shaw hit Henry harder this time causing him to fall to his knees, "You lie boy. There is no way for Snow White and Prince Charming can be your grandparents."

Henry wiped the smudge of blood off his lip, but again his smile remained, "My birth mother is Emma, the Savior and daughter of Princess Snow and Prince Charming."

The man narrowed his eyes, "So Regina is not your mother?"

"Emma and Regina are both of my mother's." Henry declared with pride.

The general seemed to be deep in thought before he turned to Henry's mother and smiled, "When did you start bedding the fairer sex my queen? Had I known about this, we could have been having so much more fun back then."

Regina glared at him, but said nothing. Henry could tell his mother thought he was giving away too much information, but he wanted Shaw to know who was coming.

The general turned to face Regina and he walked closer to her, "Do you two really expect me to believe the White Kingdom, if they were even still alive, would come to save the likes of you? I couldn't even fathom to think that the White Kingdom would allow you to be with their daughter."

Before she could answer, the teen blurted out, "That's where you are wrong. Snow and David love my mom, and they have already accepted my mom and Emma as a couple."

Regina's head snapped over to her son. There were slight tears in her eyes and Henry gave her a reassuring smile to let her know it was true. There was still disbelief and maybe even shock at her son statement.

Shaw crashed the back of his hand into Regina's face, reopening the split in her lip from earlier. Henry began to laugh. He was so angry with the man in front of him, but he couldn't control the laugh. His sides were hurting as he continued.

Shaw walked over to him, grabbing a handful of his hair in his fist, "What exactly do you find so funny boy?"

Henry doubled over from the laughter, "I can't wait," He said in between the fits of hysteria, "For you to meet the rest of our family." He knew his laughter would only cause the general to grow angrier, but Henry would rather have him hit him for laughing in his face, rather than to let the man see him be weak.

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Emma was growing more and more impatient with every burst of emotion she felt from the mayor. Something bad was happening and she could do nothing to help. She knew Regina would choose to go back to Robin, or at least that is what she figured, but it didn't change how she felt about her and she would lay down her life to protect her.

She couldn't believe that Hook had the audacity to want to talk to her right now. Better yet, she couldn't believe her parents were standing up for the man. They hated him, didn't they? She sighed to herself. Even if Regina wanted to be with her, her parents would never approve. Hell they would probably fall dead from shock.

"Hey Emma." Mulan said as she walked up beside the blonde.

Emma could feel the awkwardness radiating from the warrior, but she smiled, "Mulan."

There was entirely too much time that passed causing the awkwardness to grow and Emma couldn't take it, "What did he want you to talk to me about? Killian. How I need to let the pirate back into my life?"

Mulan resembled a deer caught in the headlights, but then her expression faded to confusion, "What? He didn't say anything about that." The warrior answered.

"So you do admit that he sent you up here to talk to me?" Emma asked.

"Sort of, but he did not mention anything about a pirate or any man for that matter." Mulan appeared to be nervous.

"All right, then what did he want you to talk to me about?" Emma asked now curious as to why this highly respected warrior would do his weasel work.

"He seems to think that you and I have a lot in common." She started.

Emma laughed, "You are making it sound as if he wants us to date or something."

Mulan laughed, "No, he does not want us to date, however when he first started talking to me, I too came to that conclusion."

Emma was now even more intrigued with what her father had up his sleeve, "Okay, so now that we have established that, what can I do for you?"

"I was supposed to give relationship advice I think, but I am a little confused as to why." Mulan said with a slight blush.

"You said it didn't have to do with a guy at all." Emma said annoyed.

"It doesn't." The warrior said.

"Unless you're going to tell me about you and Captain Li, I don't want to talk about Killian." Emma said raising her hand.

"What? Captain Li? Captain Li Shang, ewww, no. I wouldn't touch him with another person's body part. He is an arrogant, self-centered womanizer." Mulan seemed to be on a rant.

Emma smiled, "Please, tell me how you really feel." She looked over at the warrior, "I remember how you looked at Princess Aurora when we first met."

Mulan shot her eyes up to meet those of the blonde's, "How did everyone know, but her?"

Emma saw the pain behind the dark colored eyes, and for a moment she was sure she could feel it, "Apparently, it is only obvious to everyone that we do not want to know." She looked over at the warrior, "Hey, I meant to tell you how sorry I am about Prince Philip and Princess Aurora's wedding and child."

Mulan looked out into the road before them and managed a forced smile, "We should all rejoice in the couple's happiness, not in my sadness."

Emma wasn't feeling so well anymore. This conversation was making things worse. She and Mulan actually had something in common, so much so it was scary. This revelation only reminded the blonde of what awaited her when they were to return to Story Brooke. Regina and Robin, happily ever after.

"Who is she?" Mulan's voice was low, audible.

Emma looked behind her to see where her parents were then back to the rock covered road they were traveling on, "It doesn't matter."

Mulan smiled, "Sometimes it helps to be able to share a secret such as ours with someone who understands."

Emma glanced over at the Asian woman and then looked back at the road, "Regina."

There was a long pause as they walked, but then Mulan grabs the blonde's arm, "Do you mean Queen Regina? As in the Evil Queen?"

Emma wasn't surprised by the warrior's shock, "No, I mean Regina Mills, the mother of my son."

"But they are one in the same, are they not?" Mulan asked still a few shades whiter than normal.

Emma rubbed her hand down her face, "Regina may have been the Evil queen in the past, but in Story Brooke, she is just Regina, and that's the one I fell in love with."

Mulan nodded her head slowly, still trying to get a grip on things. After a long pause she said, "And Robin is her mate?"

Emma took a deep breath glancing behind them. She could see Robin walking with Zelena. His eye's met the blonde's and she quickly turned around, "Even though you totally just made it sound like some primate breeding TV special, but yes, she and the archer are together."

"You are worried your situation is the same as mine, are you not?" Mulan asked.

Emma chuckled lightly, "I'm not worried, because unfortunately I know that it is." Sadness weighed heavy in her chest.

Mulan rested a hand on the blonde's shoulder squeezing it gently, "I will pray to the ancestors, that for you, it will be different."

A tear was threatening to show itself, but Emma braved it and looked at the Asian warrior, "Thank you, but I am afraid you will be wasting your prayer."

"You should have more faith in the ancestors, my friend. I was not destined to be with Aurora. Her true love was proven to be Philip, not me. You have a magical connection with the queen, that is much more than I ever had with Aurora." Mulan said with a smile.

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Shaw and the Captain had rushed from the tent to start dispatching men to scout out and see if it were true that the White Kingdom was marching in their direction. Henry's display of madness had shaken the general to his core. Regina was sure that her son had frightened the so called fearless man. Hell, the boy was scaring her.

Regina moved quickly towards her son as they were both still shackled, "Henry, are you all right?"

The teen had fallen to his knee when Shaw had given him a final punch to the stomach. The boy looked up with a small smile, "I think I scared him."

The queen raised her hands to brush her son's hair off of his sweaty forehead, "Oh Henry, why did come here?"

The smile fell from the boy's face, "I'm sorry mom. I just wanted to help."

"And your grandparents just let you join them?" Regina asked getting angry that the two idiots would allow such a thing.

"No. They told me to stay in Story Brooke. I was going crazy there mom. I just wanted to help and Tinker Bell was trying to help with her drawings, but it was only making things worse, so she decided we could come and try to make things right." He was rambling and it was hard for Regina to understand.

"I don't understand. Tinker Bell's drawings?" Regina asked confused.

"Come to find out, Tinker Bell is the illustrator for the story book. She said she messed up when she said Robin was your soul mate and she was trying to fix it, but it wasn't helping." Henry attempted to explain.

Regina blinked a few times walking backwards until her legs met the bed, and then she plopped down. She had invested everything on what the fairy had told her. She had started to develop feeling for Emma long ago, but she was quick to bury them to follow fate. Finding this out now didn't change what she was already thinking. She had already planned to go against the fates and choose Emma. At least that is what her heart was screaming, but to know that all of this could have been avoided long ago.

"Mom, are you okay?" Henry asked climbing to his feet.

Regina looked up at her son, "What did you mean by your grandparents already thought Emma and I were a couple?"

Henry smiled, "They know how Emma feels about you and they are okay with it."

Before Regina could say anything else, Sarah and two guards burst through the tent, "Take the boy." The girl demanded.

"Wait, where are they taking him?" Regina asked panicked as she stood up.

Sarah smirked, "Oh don't worry your pretty little head over him, your majesty, I will take good care of him."

"You lay one finger on him and I will make you sorry you were ever born." Regina sneered.

Sarah laughed; however she made sure that one of the guards was between the queen and herself, "You are not really in a position to make threats. What my mother ever saw in you, I'll never know."

Regina tilted her head, "What your mother saw in me?" She didn't mean to repeat the question out loud; it was just that she was trying to make sense of the words.

"Are you telling me you didn't know? She was absolutely infatuated with you." The girl said, all signs of the sweet mousy girl they had met at the castle were gone.

Regina tried to think back. She could remember how Georgia would stare at her whenever Shaw would come around, "I thought your mother was in love with Harold."

The maids laugh was really getting on the brunette's nerves, "Daddy told me how you would flirt with her and command her to stay and watch the two of you together. After you left, daddy said my mother was the closest he could get to your beauty, so he took her as his own. He said she was a little reluctant at first, but after a while she seemed to grow to like him." She chuckled, " I thought you were supposed to be the all mighty and fierce Evil Queen, smarter, and more beautiful than any queen before her, but look at you now, I bet that even my mother wouldn't want you now, well if she were still alive that it is."

The two guards took Henry outside. Sarah walked towards the door flap and stopped, "Daddy will break you too, and then you will be my new mother." The girl turned and walked out.

Regina closed her eyes. This girl was insane. There was no way in hell she would be with Shaw, nor would she allow this mental case to call her mother.

"Poor Georgina." The mayor whispered.

How could she have been so blind back then? She almost laughed at the question. She was blind to everything back then. Here she had thought that her hand maiden had been in love with the general, when in fact it was her for whom she had feelings. Regina knew she would have probably laughed in the woman's face back then, but knowing it now was hard, and to know what the other woman might have went through after she left made a huge wave of guilt wash over her.

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They were less than a mile from their destination and the group's anticipation was growing. They had spread out dividing into smaller groups. Mulan had most of the archers to hold back in order to allow the swords men and other up close hand to hand combatants be first in line. There were many people in this make shift army, but not as many as there were in the Dark Army.

Snow was worried about Emma, and of course she was worried about Regina and her grandson as well, but she was concerned for her daughter's emotional state. She knew more about how Emma felt than most. She had hid when they had made it to the gypsy camp. How could she show her face to Florica? The woman had only ever shown her kindness, and because of Snow, her daughter was dead. She knew she should have stayed and helped the old woman through her loss, but it ripped her in two. She couldn't even console herself, let alone offer any comfort to a grieving mother.

"Everyone, hide!" A scout shouted as he jogged towards them. "Some royal guards are approaching."

Snow swiftly jumped up, grabbing the low hanging branch of a spruce tree and swung herself up into the branches. She could see much better from her position and could make out that at least twenty guards were marching their way. She grabbed her bow and loaded her arrow, keeping the man in charge in her cross hairs. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Robin had the same idea and had climbed into a neighboring tree with his bow drawn.

As the small group of dark soldiers got closer, Mulan jumped out from behind a shrub where she had been hiding, "Halt." She said, surprisingly calm.

"What are you supposed to be? You should probably leave the trousers and armor for the real men, lass." One of the men said as the others laughed.

Mulan smiled as she slowly pulled her sword, "I would, but real men are so hard to come by these days."

The man smile dropped, "Why you little harlot." He drew his sword and lunged at the Asian beauty. Snow grinned as she watched the other woman wield her sword like an artist. For a moment she had forgotten that her true love was somewhere nearby, and her thoughts were not with him as she watched the dark haired beauty fight.

Three of the men were relinquished of their swords in one fluid motion from the Asian warrior's blade. Snow caught a glimpse of one of the men from their small army pull a dagger. The short haired brunette put her sights on him and released her arrow. The arrow pierced his hand causing him to cry out. Suddenly, the entire White Kingdoms fighter's stepped out of their hiding.

This only caused Mulan's smile to grow, "Surrender and you shall live, refuse and die."

The clanging of metal hitting the pebbled road rang out as the small army surrendered. Snow hopped down from her perch in the trees and walked toward the prisoners, "You." She pointed to a soldier who was barely a year or two older than Henry, "Come with me." She looked over to Grumpy, "Leroy, you help the other Dwarves set up a prisoner's camp." The smaller man looked as though he wanted to argue with her, but when he saw the seriousness in her eyes he only nodded and did as she directed.

Snow walked the boy a few yards from the others and turned to face him. Mulan and Red joined her.

"Where were you and your men headed?" Snow asked.

The boy looked scared, but unfortunately devoted, so he remained quiet.

"This General Shaw is going to get you and many of your friends killed. How old are you?" She asked.

"I turned eighteen two days ago." He said puffing out his chest.

Snow and the other two women did not notice Emma walk up, "Where were you headed?"

The boy glared at her, "I would never do anything to betray my queen." He said before he spat at her feet.

Emma shoved passed her mother grabbing the boy by the throat, "You little shit, the queen is not giving these orders, Shaw is. Your Queen is being held against her will."

Snow pulled on her daughter's arm, "Emma, stop it. He's only a boy."

The blonde stared into the teen's eyes, but released him.

He coughed and then sneered, "You must be the savior and this is your mommy I would guess."

Before Snow could stop her, Emma slapped the boy hard across the face.

Mulan and Ruby stepped in front of the teen before Emma could grab him again, "Stand down Swan. This isn't going to help." Mulan hissed.

Ruby stepped forward, "Emma come with me and let them handle this." She smiled softly.

Even though Emma looked as though she were fuming, she did as her friend asked. Once they walk away, Snow looked back at the boy and stepped into his personal space, "I'm only going to ask you one more time, and you will answer. Shaw has taken the queen and my grandson hostage and their family is here to bring them back safely." Snow smiled her sweet Mary Margret smile and then leaned in to whisper in his ear, "If you think my daughter is crazy, then you can just imagine how her mother will be."

The teen swallowed loudly and then said, "The boy, your grandson, told the general that you all were coming for them, so he sent us out to see if it was true."

Snow smiled again, "Good boy. Now, how many groups did he send out?"

The teen swallowed again, "Only us."

Snow narrowed her eyes, and the boy spoke again, "No it's true. If he sent anyone else I don't know anything about it."

"I will go and talk to the shouts and see what they have found." Mulan said before walking off.

Snow nodded to one of the dwarves that stood a few yards away. He came over and took the teen to where the other soldiers were being held. The princess made her way to a very large rotting stump and sat down. She let her eyes dance around the forest and for a moment, she found herself missing this place. Maybe she just missed her youth, because it was much better living with electricity and indoor plumbing.

"Hey." Emma's voice brought her back down to earth.

She smiled up at the blonde, "Hey."

"Umm, sorry about earlier." The blonde gave a tight lipped smile.

Snow let her eyes sweep over her daughter's features, "I know you're worried about her."

Emma tilted her head slightly, "I am and I'm worried about Henry." She eyed her mother suspiciously for a moment before she sat down next to her. The older woman thought for sure that Emma was going to say something in regards to Regina, but instead, "So, I met Florica."

Snow stiffened, but remained quiet. By her daughters tone, she could tell she was fishing.

"She said she met you a long time ago." Emma seemed to pause as if she were waiting for a response, but again the older woman was silent.

"She said you and her daughter Mirela were pretty close." The blonde added.

Snow turned and looked at her daughter with sadness in her eyes, but she managed a smile, "I know what you are doing Emma. I'm sure Florica told you all about it."

"How come you never told me about her?" Emma asked.

"What, and tell my daughter that I had a female lover? That's not exactly the conversation a parent imagines having with their child." She chuckled nervously.

"We used to be friends." Emma smiled.

Snow smiled back but then looked up at the hazy looking sky, "That was before the curse broke."

The short haired brunette could feel the blonde's eyes on her "Are you saying you regret me breaking the curse?"

Snow's looked shocked, "Of course not. I wouldn't trade finding you and your father for anything in the word." She reached over and patted her daughter's knee, "I just wish the whole alternate universe thing hadn't happened."

The blonde shrugged, "Yeah, me too." She put her hand over her mother's, "We will get past all of that, because I really miss my friend."

Snow felt a little over emotional, but she reminded herself that Emma wasn't as open with her emotions as she was and she needed to remain calm, "And your friend misses you."

Without warning Emma wrapped her arms around her mother. Snow was surprised, but was so happy that she had. As quickly as it had happened, it was over.

"So you and Mirela, did you love her?" Emma asked almost in a whisper.

Snow closed her eyes, letting the images of young curly long haired brunette from times gone by fill her mind, "I did, very much." Her senses were flooded and these memories were over whelming her, "And before you ask, yes I miss her. But I do love your father and I couldn't image my life with anyone else."

She could tell her daughter didn't want to push the topic, so they stay quiet for a moment.

"I have something I want to tell you, but you have to remain calm, okay?" Emma asked hesitantly.

Snow smiled and nodded.

"I'm in love with Regina." The blonde blurted out.

Snow tried to remain neutral. She already knew this, but she didn't want to get Henry in trouble by letting her know where she had heard it, "Okay."

"Okay? That's all you have? I tell you that I am in love with your former nemesis and you say okay?" Emma looked at her mother sideways.

"I mean, are you sure?" She had no clue what to say. She was not the best lair in the world, but she liked to think she was all right at it, that was until she met her daughter.

The blonde sighed, "Henry told you, didn't he."

"He did, but don't be mad at him. He only told us because he loves you and Regina." Snow explained.

"Let me guess, you told him all of the ways that Regina and I shouldn't be together?" Emma asked rolling her eyes.

"You know, you really need to stop jumping to conclusions so easily, if you gave people half a chance, you may find yourself surprised by their answers." Snow said standing up, "I only want you to be happy Emma, and if Regina is that, I support you." She leaned over and kissed her daughter's head and then turned, leaving a stunned Savior seated on the stump.

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Shaw had sent two guards to watch Regina's tent and one who remained inside. All he seemed to do was stare at her and it was driving her mad. He had better be glad she didn't have her magic, because she would turn him into a bug just to crush him. She has been worried sick not knowing what they did with Henry.

She paced in circles are the small area between the bed and vanity. Where the hell was this Calvary? She wasn't sure how many more hits she could take or her son. She had always known Henry was a strong boy, but she learned he was stronger than she had thought. She fought back tears that were threatening to fall. She was ashamed of herself for showing so much weakness, a teenage boy proved to have more strength in his little finger than she had in her entire body.

The flap on the tent opened and Shaw entered, "It looks like the boy was telling the truth. I guess your Savior is indeed on her way." He nodded his head towards the guard who then turned and exited the tent.

He walked up to Regina who was still restrained, "Even when you disgust me with your weakness, I can't get over your beauty." He let his fingertips gently run down the side of the brunette's throat.

"That's funny, because you constantly disgust me." She said through gritted teeth.

He stepped closer to her, his chest pressing into hers, "I own you Regina." He let his hand fall to her hips.

The mayor was physically fighting the urge to vomit. There was no way in hell he was laying a hand on her. Watching the lack of fear her son had shown gave her a boost of confidence.

She smiled raising an eyebrow, "No one owns me dear." She forcefully lifted her knee crashing it firmly into his crotch.

He cupped himself bending forward, his face turning red. He hit his knees and coughed, "You bitch. You'll pay for that."

Regina could see the anger flash in his eyes, but she was done caring. She was well aware that she may have in fact helped to aide in fueling this monster, but she was not his creator, he was already deeply rooted in evil long before she ever met him.

Once he was able to stand, he walked towards Regina with his hand drawn back. She clenched her teeth together in order to ready herself for the pain when a loud explosion happened from somewhere outside. It shook the ground causing Regina to struggle to remain upright.

Shaw looked at her, his eyes wide. She couldn't resist the smirk that crossed her lips. The explosion sounded as though it came from the construction site, so that only meant that stage one of this war had just begun.

The general grabs Regina by the arm yanking her towards the exit. Once they were outside, she could see the soldier running towards the construction site with their weapons drawn. This caused a big gap in the defense from behind them, where she was certain Emma and her parents would come from.

Shaw was nearly dragging Regina along with him as he made his way closer to the site, "You there." He called to a soldier who was rushing by, "What was that?"

The young guard looked panicked, "The prisoners got weapons somehow and are attacking."

Shaw looked confused, but it was the best thing Regina had seen all day. She laughed at the bewilderment the general was displaying. The plan had actually taken him by surprise, and she found that terribly funny.

Of course her laughter only angered the man. He yanked her to him, "You're not going to be laughing when you watch all of your little gypsy friends die." He turned, pulling her towards the site.

Once they had made it to the iron bars, he pulled a dagger from his belt pulling the queen in front of him, with her back to his front and placed the blade to her neck, "Now we will wait for your Savior to arrive, as you watch your little friends die as my men cut them to pieces one by one."

There was so much going on that her eyes refused to focus on just one thing. Shaw raised his hand and snapped his finger's loudly, causing a couple of guards to look in his direction, "Stop this, now."

The guards nodded their understanding. They ran passed unarmed gypsies and sliced through them with their blades. Sick and elderly people were being murdered.

"No!" Regina cried.

Her eyes focus for a brief moment across the yard through the smoke, dust and debris on Esmeralda. Tears were streaming down her face as she cried out for the innocent people the guards were slaughtering. Their eyes locked for a fraction of a second, and all Regina could see was terror and pain.

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"What was that?" David asked as everyone was looking around.

"That's our Que." Emma said as she started moving up the line. Suddenly Emma felt pain and sadness like nothing else. She fell to her knee and closed her eyes, "Regina?"

All she could hear were the sobs that came from the brunette's mouth. She looked around almost letting out a sob of her own as she saw what the other woman was witnessing, "We are almost there." She said hoping to help and comfort the older woman, if she could even hear her at all.

"Emma!" David called as he ran up behind her and helped her to her feet.

"We have to move now. Shaw is killing unarmed gypsies and making Regina watch." Emma said.

Mulan trotted up to them, "I have given my men the order. We are ready when you are."

Emma looked at David and he nodded, "So are we." He looked behind them, "Let go people, it's time."

Emma looked around, "I need a group of you with me. We are going to teleport closer, so we can get a head start."

"Emma, have you mastered teleporting?" Snow asked with concern.

"She doesn't have to, I'll do it." Gold said.

Emma would not have trusted the man had it been any other situation, but she no other choice. She nodded her appreciation and then called out, "I need some volunteers to join me at the front."

David looked up at his daughter, "Emma, Mulan already has a perfectly good strategy planned."

The blonde looked at the warrior, and then back at her father, "I am sure it is a great plan and she can still go with it, but I have to go to Regina now, I can't wait."

"But if you go in guns blazing you are going to get yourself killed." David said narrowing his eyes.

"No." Mulan said causing everyone to turn and look at her. "I will stay with my plan, but Emma's plan is a good one. It would definitely take the general by surprise. He is a man of strategic military planning, he doesn't do chaos and that is what Emma offers. It may just be the most brilliant idea yet."

The edge of the blonde's lip curled up as she looked at the Asian warrior. Mulan kept her serious face, but winked briefly in Emma's direction.

"Then I'm coming with you." David said.

Emma smiled to herself just before her mother stepped forward, "As am I."

"Count me in." Ruby said as she pushed through the lines.

Emma noticed hushed arguing from Robin and Zelena when Robin spoke up, "Count us in as well." The interaction seemed strange as she watched the red head roll her eyes at the archer's comment.

"And me." Killian said as he stepped towards her.

She had to fight the urge to roll her own eyes, "You don't owe me anything, so there is no need for you to go."

The pirate clenched his teeth together then hissed, "I made a promise to the boy and I intend to keep it." She was a bit taken back by his tone, but then figured she deserved it for how she has been treating him. He pushed passed her and stood next to her parents.

"I guess you can count me in, but let's get one thing clear, I don't take orders from anyone." Maleficent said as she casually strolled up.

Emma smiled at her, "Crystal."

Gold waved his hand causing purple smoke to envelope the small group. They reappeared only moments later inside what appeared to be a tent.

"Umm that's strange." Gold said.

"What is?" David asked.

"I was aiming to get us outside the gates." He slowly walked towards the door of the tent and carefully peered out, "But apparently, we are inside the gates." He cut his eyes over to the blonde.

She shrugged her shoulders, "Sorry, all I could think of was Regina, but hey, at least we are in, right?" She smiled mischievously.

David chuckled lightly and shook his head, and Gold only narrowed his eyes, "For future purposes and for the fact that I am sure no one here wants to end up embedded in a wall somewhere, maybe only one person should drive this magic bus at a time, dearie."

Emma didn't respond she just looked back at him. Regina would have probably told her the same. The only trouble would have been that Emma could only think about saving the two loves of her life and couldn't care less about anything else at this time.

The blonde looked around the room and recognized it as being Regina's tent. Fur rugs lined the floor one being a white Flokati, which has a very small droplet of red on it. Emma knelt down pressing her finger to it. As soon as her skin made contact a flash of Shaw hitting Regina flew into her mind. The droplet had fallen from the reopened split in the brunette's lower lip.

The blonde closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was way past time for her to be introduced to General Shaw. A small growl rumbled from her throat as she stood up, "Let's go."

Killian grabbed her arm as she started for the door, "Wait a minute Love. What are you going to do? Walk right up to the man? I don't think it will be that simple."

Emma yanked her arm from his grasp, "There's only one way to find out."

She started out the door again when her father said, "Emma, there are a lot of soldiers here."

A dark matter floated across the blonde's eyes, "Them I will kill them all. You are welcome to stay here and work on some long drawn out plan, but I'm done planning. If the rest of you are afraid, then by all means, stay with Prince David."

Ruby smiled sweetly, "You have the wrong girl, if you think I am afraid." Her eyes glowed an eerie yellow and a very inhuman growl bubbled up from her throat.

A small smile crept up on Maleficent's face, "Honey, I am not afraid of any man or beast." An iridescent green lit up her irises.

Emma produced her own creepy smirk and turned towards the exit. She honestly had no clue if they could win this thing, however she was positive that Shaw would not survive. The clock was ticking and blood was about to be shed.


	23. Chapter 23

**Readers: I want to apologize for taking so long to post this chapter. My Grandfather passed and I have been having to deal with family stuff. With that out of the way I want to make sure everyone is warned that this chapter depicts a lot of graphic violence. Such as dismemberment, and things like that. I thank everyone who is reading and for all of your reviews. I hope you continue to like the story. I am sorry for any and all errors in grammar, and spelling. Hope you all enjoy! ;)**

 **Chapter23**

Regina watched in horror as the guards impaled random gypsies as they tried desperately to flee. Many plead for their lives, but some were so ill they could not speak, let alone move to run. Tears rolled down the mayor's face, but her expression was one of sheer anger and hatred for the man who held the blade to her throat.

Screams and cries echoed from all around. In the distance she could see the rebel gypsies fighting. Eladon swung a mighty axe above his head only to bring it crashing downwards splitting a soldier nearly in two. Cappi used two blades, one for each hand as he cut through throats and any other flesh the guards had exposed. The snowy grounds of the construction site was beginning to look as though it were part of some sort of sadistic abstract art piece.

"Move boy!" Sarah's voice shouted out from behind the brunette and her captor.

Shaw turned forcing the queen to turn with him. Her eyes fell to her son, chains still dangled from his wrists as the guards held him in place.

Sarah smirked when she saw the wet cheeks and ruined makeup of the mayor, "Awwe, our poor queen sheds tears for these rats." She walked closer to teen, "Have you ever known your mother to be so weak? It's pathetic, really."

"Fuck you!" Henry shouted. "She is not weak. She is stronger than you or sick father could ever dream of being."

The maid slapped the boy across the face causing his head to swing to the side.

"You will die for that bitch!" Regina yelled pushing against the blade that lay across her throat. She could feel the warm liquid trickle slowly down her neck as she fought against the man holding her.

"Careful, my queen. You wouldn't want your boy to see his mother die from a cut throat, now would you?" Shaw cooed into her ear causing her stomach to turn. "We are missing the show, my queen. If your boy is anything like you, he will find this quite amusing."

Regina eyes widen and she gasped, "You can't make him watch this, please."

He lowed himself to her ear and whispered, "I can and I will. This is the problem with boys not having fathers, their mothers turn them into weaklings and they are the first to die on the battle field. You have coddled the boy long enough my queen."

More tears spilled from her eyes as she was forced to turn back to the construction site. She could only pray that her son would close his eyes. Henry was far from weak, but he was still her little prince. He was the sweetest most loving child she had yet to come across and if he had to witness this, she wasn't sure he could survive it.

More soldiers pulled into the site. Eladon and the handful of fighters he had would not last much longer. There were far more guards then he had rebels, and they would plow through them soon. Regina watched as fatigue was starting to take its toll on the large man. Cappi was covered in blood and out of breath, and she had yet to see Esmeralda or her husband since the guards were ordered to attack.

Another cry was heard as a guard shoved his sword into the belly of one of the rebels. She couldn't see her son's face but her heart ached for him. Her job as his mother was to protect him from harm. Back in Story Brooke, she had fought to protect him by hiding the truth of who she was or the others in their community. She had failed miserably at that, but at the time she felt it was the right thing to do. She missed the time where all she had to worry about soothing her sons fears about monsters under his bed, but this, this was completely different. These were things he would never be able to forget. She had seen what the cruelness and brutality of war could do to young men's minds. These were monsters she would not be able to protect her son from, it was tearing her apart.

A hair raising snarl came from the gate entrance. Regina could see the giant wolf standing in the distance. Snow had begun to fall again, and with each snowflake that fell, the heavier it became. Before too long, ten feet was as far as she could see in front of her, and fighting was the only the sounds surrounding them. Metal striking metal pierced the thick air as swords and other weapons struck one another. Yells, grunts and cries rang out only to leave the queen wondering who's they were. Growls and snarls danced around, as men screamed out in agony. The sound of flesh being torn apart was loud in the queen's ears and she could only imagine what was going through her son's mind.

"You! Bring my carriage!" Shaw shouted at a frightened stable boy.

The boy wasted no time, and within moments the carriage was driven up, by two of Shaw's guards. He dragged the queen up to the doors and forced her inside, "Sarah, bring the boy."

The maid complied forcing the boy up into the carriage and then climbed in after.

The carriage lurched forwards as the driver cracked the reigns loudly against the black horses' rumps. Regina's heart was racing, she was suddenly afraid. Emma was supposed to come and save her and their son from the camp, if they left, how much longer would it take the blonde to find them if she even could.

Regina clenched her teeth together, when had she become the damsel in distress? There had never been a prince to come and rescue her when she was a young girl or even when she was forced into a loveless marriage with a man three times her age. She had always been left on her own, what made this any different? Except for the fact that Henry was there. She knew the charmings would do everything in their power to protect their own blood.

"Did you hear that wolf?" Henry asked quietly as he looked at the General.

Shaw didn't say anything, but his eyes remained on the teens, "That was a dire wolf. Her name is Ruby and she is having a feast on your men." The teen's voice was eerie and there was a slight pull at the corner of his mouth, for a second, Regina had to fight a chill that threatened to run up the back of her neck. As she looked into her son's eyes, she almost didn't recognize him.

"My men will cut through your wolf boy." Shaw tried to match Henry's smile, but it failed to reach the fear in his eyes.

"Oh Ruby is far from alone. If I were you, I would surrender." Henry said letting his eyes move briefly to his mother and then back to the general.

A laugh erupted from the man throat, "I do not surrender and certainly not from one wolf."

Henry shrugged letting his gaze fall to the window of the carriage, "It's your funeral. My family will end your army and Emma will destroy you."

"You seem awful sure of these people you call family boy, but I am the general of the dark army. I have led my men into hundreds of battles throughout the years and I have yet to lose one." The general said trying to regain his own confidence.

Henry's smile broadened, "Well, there's a first time for everything."

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The snow fall was making it near impossible to see. Ruby was making easy work of the soldiers she passed, but like everything else, Emma was finding it difficult to see details, she could only hear the screams and snarls. Magic was thick in the air, letting her know that Gold must have summoned the storm.

Emma could feel the fear and angry from Regina. The sheriff's own heart was beating loudly as scanned her surroundings for any sign of the woman she loves or their son. The magic connection between Regina and her seemed to be growing further apart.

More screams and growls came through the hazy swirling snow. A soldier appeared out of nowhere swinging his sword in her direction. Emma raised her hand causing the man to stop in his tracks.

"Where is the queen?" She asked.

The man chuckled, "None of your business."

The blonde waved her hand causing the sword he was holding to be snatched from his hand. She turned it in midair bringing the point to his neck, "I will only ask once more. Where is the queen?"

"Fuck you, my Lady." The man sneered.

Emma flicked her wrist causing the blade to skewer the man's neck. With a single cough, blood and a gargled breath escaped his mouth. She released him allowing his body and the sword to fall to the ground. She stared at him for a few seconds waiting to feel some sort of remorse, but when it didn't come she looked back up. To her surprise her mother stood only a few feet away watching in horror and disbelief, but the sheriff averted her eyes and walked passed the dead soldier. She unsheathed her own blade as she pushed through the heavy falling snow.

Mary Margret hurried towards her, "Emma?"

"I'm fine." The blonde said as she continued to walk.

The fairytale princess stopped and stared at her daughter as if she were a stranger all over again. Emma stopped and said over her shoulder, "I have to save my son and Regina." She said the words slowly; almost as if she were afraid they would be misunderstood. "You, above everyone else should understand that."

Emma could hear the neigh of horses and the rolling wheels of a carriage. She knew instantly that was where Regina and Henry was, "Regina!"

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The carriage hadn't gotten far when Henry heard Emma voice calling out for his mother. He looked across the compartment where Regina sat practically in the general's lap, the blade still to her neck. Her eyes met his and he could see the fear and anger. He knew his mother well enough to know she was not afraid of this man, but instead she was afraid for her son.

Henry had done nothing but let his mothers down. He had only come to this stupid place wanting to help rescue them, but instead he had made things so much worse. He let his eye roam over his mother's beaten features; he quickly looked away when he felt the sting of tears threatening to spill. He had screwed things up so badly, but the last thing he would do was allow his mother to see him weak. He had to stay strong for her, if for no one else.

"Is that your whore calling out for you, your majesty?" Shaw asked as he leaned closer to the brunette's ear.

"It is. Our army will crush them daddy, there is no way they can win." Sarah said to the man in a sickeningly sweet childlike voice.

"My army." Shaw corrected with a raised eyebrow and sharpness to his tone.

Sarah looked hurt, but smiled, "Of course Daddy, I only meant that 'your' army could beat anyone." She said putting emphasis on 'your'.

"My family will crush you and your army." Henry said only to wince in pain as the maid pulled his head back by his hair.

His mother shifted in her position ready to attack, but the blade prevented her from moving too much. Shaw smiled, "You sure have put much faith into this family of yours. Have you not seen how many men I have?"

The teen narrowed his eyes, "I have all of the faith in the world in my family."

The carriage must have turned off of the road because the ride had become rougher and Henry found it hard to stay in his seat. Shaw used a free elbow to bang on the small window that separated the driver from the cabin. The door slid open and a guard's face appeared.

"Where is the driver taking us?" Shaw grunted with each bump and dip of the carriage.

"Forgive us sir, but an army blocks the roads." The guard shouted back, as he slid the window closed again.

Shaw looked as though he was in thought and then his eyes fell on Henry's. The teen could see the worry there and it caused a smile to creep up on his own features, "Why the worry General? I'm sure your men can hand it."

"You sure are a smart ass, aren't you?" Shaw said pushing the queen forward so he could sit closer to the edge as he spoke to the teen, "When my army wins this war, I shall kill your entire family and force you to watch. Your mother will be my queen and do everything I demand of her and as for you", the man attempted a small smile, "I will have you as my personal servant. You will serve my every wish; and you will witness everything I do to your mother."

Henry's stomach rolled. He knew what Shaw was implying and it made his sick. He, like all teens, did not want to know about his mother's sex life, however this was even worse, "You put one hand on my mom and I will kill you myself." Hate seeped from every pore of Henry. He meant every word he said. He was not dumb enough that he didn't realize this man could take him with one hand, but his words only let the world know he would die trying.

The sound of an arrow piercing the air and landing with a sickening thud came from the front of the carriage where the driver and guard were. A second arrow sound, landing with the same thud, only difference this time, one of the men grunted.

Regina made eye contact with Henry. She gestured towards the door and he immediately knew what she wanted. He wanted to argue, and tell her he wouldn't leave her, but the look in his mother's eyes told him to do as he was told.

Henry's back was near the side door of the carriage. Sarah had one hand in his hair, but her focus was to the window on the opposite side. His hands were still shackled in front of him and slowly coiled the excess chain in his hands to ensure it didn't catch on something when he jump and potentially hurt himself worse, whatever that meant.

The teen took a deep breath and in one motion he slammed his back up against the door. The flimsy door burst open and the boy jumped, grabbing the maid's dress and pulling her with him. There was no way he was leaving his mother to deal with both of them at once.

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Snow knew exactly what her daughter was talking about, but it didn't make it any easier seeing her kill. Snow White had no other choice when she was growing up than to kill or be killed. She knew what a burden it was on someone with a kind and generous heart to have to live with the guilt and shame of taking another's life. This was definitely one of those times when they had to kill or be killed; the only difference was Emma had magic. She didn't need to kill that soldier, she could have bond him or put him to sleep or anything other than kill him in the manner she did.

Snow took in a deep breath to calm herself. She was in no place or position to judge the blonde, but she was now worried Emma's heart would be tainted. The White Princess grabbed an arrow from her quiver and pulled it through her bow as she slowly made her way forward. She would just have to keep an eye on her daughter.

Shouting could be heard towards the main gate. Snow could only assume that part of Mulan's men had arrived. The snow was starting to let up and she could now see further. Bodies upon bodies littered the grounds. Some were gypsies, but many were soldiers, or at least they were before they were ripped apart by the dire wolf, or split in half by swords and axes. The snow that covered the ground was now splattered red. Small rivers of blood flowed down hill and the White Princess tried to shake an uncontrollable shiver that crept up the back of her neck.

Emma came into view as her sword clanked hard against another soldier's. Her daughter was nowhere near as good as her father at wielding a sword, but she had come a long way. The soldier brought his sword down on hers, pushing with all of his body. Emma pushed back hard causing the man to stumble backward and drop his guard a bit, just enough for the blonde to see her opportunity. Just as her sword would have sliced through the man, Snow released her arrow, driving it through the man's heart.

As the soldier fell, Emma spun around and glared at her mother, "Why did you do that? I had him."

"I was trying to help." Snow said only partially lying. She had killed many men in battle before, and had not thought twice about it, but having almost lost her daughter to darkness once before, she was afraid the more men Emma killed, the more susceptible she was to the darkness.

Snow saw her daughter clench her jaw, "I didn't need your help."

A horn sounded causing everyone to look in the direction of the front gates. More of the dark army's soldiers poured in through the side gate. As the snow had seemed to halt, she could see a large number of Mulan's men fighting in the distance. The more men who came, was more people who would die, she thought to herself.

Another horn sounded from the opposite side of the field. More and more royal soldiers poured onto the grounds. For a brief moment, Snow thought for sure they would be in jeopardy of losing this battle, because they were outnumbered nearly three to one.

A loud shrieking sound cried out from up above. Snow looked up in time to see Maleficent in dragon form, fly over. Fire blew from the giant beast's mouth, setting the newest of the soldier to arrive on the field up in flames. Flaming men ran in chaos as they screamed out from being burned alive.

As gruesome as the scene was, Snow found herself very thankful the sorceress had joined them. Emma jogged back to her, "We need to find Regina and Henry. They were in the carriage that left."

"Surely they have been stopped by Mulan and her men by now." Snow said as Gold walked up.

The imp's interest was not in their current conversation as he seemed to be looking around at all of the dead bodies.

"Gold!" Emma shouted to get his attention, "How do I find Regina if I don't know where she is?"

The man looked at her, but instead of answering her question, he laughed, "Why haven't you stopped this yet?"

Snow and Emma looked at one another with confusion and annoyance, "If you haven't noticed, there are more of them than there are of us, it takes time." Snow answered.

The smaller framed man looked at the short haired brunette, "I wasn't talking to you dearie. I was speaking to the Savior." He let his eyes fall on the blonde.

"You want me to beat an entire army? Are you insane?" Emma asked raising her voice.

The imp shook his head and rolled his eyes, "I thought the queen was teaching you how to use your magic, or have you two been spending your time doing more physical activities?" He asked with irritation in his tone.

Emma narrowed her eyes at his last question, but decided to answer the first, "We haven't work on my magic since Robin got back."

Snow could hear the change in her daughter's demeanor and made her sad.

"All right, new lesson." Gold said looking at the blonde.

Emma hissed, "I don't need you to teach me your dark magic."

"Dearie, where do you think your precious queen learned her magic skills?" He asked with a small, but snarky smile.

Snow could see the anger on her daughter's face, but the imp continued, "What do you think Shaw will do with Regina if you do not find her?"

Emma clenched her jaw as her cheeks reddened, but she only stared at the smaller man.

"You think the bruises on her face are the only marks he will leave?" Gold asked as he took a step closer to the blonde.

Snow was shocked for a second that the imp had seen what Emma had in her visions, but the man continued to taunt her daughter.

He tilted his head to the side, "What do you think he will do to her beneath her clothes Sheriff? Do you think he will make gentle love to her?"

"Stop!" Emma screamed out to the top of her lungs throwing her hands up in the air.

Snow watched as her daughter's breath puffed out from her nostrils in the cold air as her chest raised and fell heavily. The anger the blonde was feeling was radiating off of her skin causing the air to tense up and appear to almost freeze. Mary Margret realized that everything had gone silent. The sounds of the battle field seemed too vanished. She looked around in disbelief. All of the Dark Army surrounding them was frozen.

Snow slowly started to walk towards a frozen soldier who had his blade raised in an attack against her husband. She looked at her husband's bewilderment and then back to the soldier.

"What the hell is going on?" Hooked called out from somewhere in the crowd.

Esmeralda, and the other gypsies appeared through the crowd. They were just as shocked as everyone else at the sight.

"This is elementary, really." Zelena huffed unimpressed as she crossed her arms.

"Miss. Swan, if you want to save your queen, then you have to stop this. Like your mother so obviously pointed out, they have more men who will continue to pile out of those gates until the last of us is dead, all while the general does whatever he wants with Ms. Mills." He gestured towards the frozen soldiers, "Now, you can kill every one of these young men and be done with them, or you can get them to fight for you. The choice is yours, but I suggest you hurry, time is of the essence, dearie."

"Can they hear me?" The blonde asked.

"Of course, they're not dead." The imp replied.

Snow watched as her daughter rolled her eyes at Gold and then looked around. She had witness her daughter drive a sword through a soldiers neck without hesitating, so she was a little apprehensive in what her daughter might choose.

"Listen up!" The blonde shouted. It was louder than normal so Snow figured she or Gold was using some sort of spell to enhance the volume of her voice, "If you all continue to fight in the name of General Shaw, you will die. I have bumped into several of you who are under the impression that you are fighting for the queen, but you are not. Shaw has taken the queen's castle and lied to you." She looked around as she continued, "We fight for the queen. I will give you all one of three choices. You can continue to fight against us…" She paused as all of the soldier's swords slipped from their hands and floated up in the air turning against them, "And die. Your second choice is that you can go home. Leave all of this behind and go home to your families, or you can stand with us to stop Shaw and save the queen." She looked up at Snow who smiled back at her.

Snow was so happy and proud of her daughter. She thought for sure she would just choose to kill them all, but she didn't. She watched as Emma waved her hand in the air unfreezing the soldier. Most of which, seemed scared to death at what had just happened to them. The first guard to respond yelled out, "Fuck the queen!"

With a glare and the flick of her wrist, Emma magically impaled the man with the sword, "Anyone else choosing the first option?"

The captain stood a few men away from the sheriff as he started to laugh. Snow could see the old gypsy woman next to him and without warning he pulled a dagger from his belt and drove it into the old woman's side.

"No!" Esmeralda screamed out.

The dark haired gypsy woman was fast, as she made her way to the Captain. In one fell swoop her blade took the captain's head clean off. It hit the ground with a thud and rolled several feet away.

"Momma!" Esmeralda cried out as she grabbed the old woman and cradled her in her arms.

The silence was deafening, when suddenly the sound of armor hitting the ground rang out as one man fell to his knees, "Long live the queen."

At first, the man knelt alone. One by one other men followed suit, until the several hundred men left standing all fell to their knees at once shouting out in harmony, "Long live the queen!"

Emma looked around the field with satisfaction, "Now save the Queen and the boy. Any soldier you come across who defy the queen, cut them down. Any other man who harms another gypsy will die." The blonde went to walk away, but then stopped and turned back, "I want Shaw alive. He is mine."

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After a very rough and rocky ride the carriage slowly began to come to a stop. Shaw kept the knife to Regina's throat as he struggled to look out the windows. Regina could see they were in some sort of clearing. They had ridden for several miles and she had no idea exactly where they were.

She kept playing the image of her son jumping backwards from the racing carriage in her mind. She prayed he was unharmed. She had no idea how Emma and the rest of the White army was fairing, all she could hope was that Emma and her son were safe.

The general grabbed the mayor pulling her towards the door. As they stepped out it seemed to be eerily quiet. The snow had long ago stopped, and the air felt thick. Shaw moved the mayor to the other side of the carriage as he looked around frantically.

Regina could see the two guards who had ridden up front and they were slouched down in the seat, dead from arrows. She smiled to herself at the fear she could feel coming from the man behind her. She remembered there was a brief time when the man had feared her, but obviously, with no magic, those days were gone.

Mulan and a group of soldier appeared from the edge of forest to their left, "Let her go Shaw." Mulan said calmly.

"That will never happen." He said trying to mask his fear with the fake smile that crossed his lips.

"Emma and the White kingdom have taken your army, you can't win." The Asian beauty said taking a step closer.

"That's impossible. I have thousands under my command. There is no way the White Kingdom killed them," Shaw said with a sneer.

Mulan smiled taking another step, "You are right, they are not dead." The warrior paused, "However, the Queen's army has been reinstated." More than twenty Dark soldiers appeared from the forest near Mulan with their swords drawn and pointed at the general.

Regina could not suppress the slight smile that crossed her lips when she felt the man behind her gasp. Emma had done the impossible and she couldn't be more proud.

"What are you useless ingrates doing? You took a vow to obey me!" Shaw shouted at his traitorous soldiers.

An older soldier from the Dark army stepped closer, "We soar oaths to the queen, not you. You have committed treason in every way possible. Now release her majesty."

Regina couldn't believe her ears. Other than the few people in Story Brooke, not many had stood up for her. Now thinking back, she was even more shocked that the Army was on her side because she had been a horrible queen and treated the men badly.

"When I cut this bitch's throat, what will you think of your Queen then?" Shaw said pressing the blade in harder against her throat causing another small trickle of blood to slowly crawl down her neck. He continued to walk backwards until he swayed slightly unsteady. The mayor looked down to see that they were on the edge of a cliff. Unlike last time, there was no water at the bottom for her to fall into; instead there were only jagged rocks. Images of when Emma had pushed Cruella off the cliff back in Story Brooke ran through her mind. She deserved a much better death than that. There was no way she wanted to die the same way as that foul looking woman did.

"Let her go Shaw." Emma's voice ran out causing Regina to look up in surprise.

Laughter erupted from the man behind her, "You must be the Savior I've heard so much about."

Regina met the blonde's eyes for a brief moment, before the green ones looked back to the general, "You have nowhere to go, just let the queen go." She took a couple of steps forward.

Shaw pulled the blade tight against the delicate skin of Regina neck causing it to pull her head back, "Did Regina ever tell you about us?" He chuckled again, "She was magnificent. The most gorgeous creature I had ever laid eyes on. I had never met a woman as cruel and dark as her and it was fascinating. Oh and in bed, she was an expert in the art of pleasing men."

Regina closed her eyes. She didn't want to be reminded of those times and of that person she once was, but even more, she didn't want Emma to hear this.

"Tell me savior, what did you do to my queen?" The man asked pulling the night taut again causing the brunette to wince in pain.

Regina opened her eyes to find the blonde looking at her but she replied to Shaw, "I didn't do anything to the queen."

"Bullshit!" The general blurted out, "My fierce and cold Goddess no longer exists. All that is left is a shell of who she was. She is no more than a useless whore now." He spat out.

Emma glared taking a step closer, "Watch your mouth." He words were quiet, but their meaning rang out in volumes.

"Did she tell you what she did to please me when we first arrived here to the site?" Shaw asked but then lowered his mouth to the brunette's ear, "Maybe you should tell her my love. It would sound so much better coming from that sexy voice of yours."

Regina tried to blink away the tears that were threatening to fall. She had been ashamed of herself for what she had done in the carriage, but she did what she felt she had to do and was able to push it from her thought, but now watching the pain and anger wash over Emma's face at the words, made her feel like the whore he insisted she was.

"Release her Shaw, and I may let you live." Emma said through gritted teeth.

"Did you hear that my love?" He said to Regina, "The Lady wants her whore."

For a moment, Regina thought he was considering letting her go. The blade against her neck gained slack and his hand moved to her upper arms.

"You want her?" He said pushing her out a little in front of him, "Then go get her!" He yelled as he shoved the queen over the edge of the cliff.

 **Okay, so I am sure you are all hating me right now, but I will post again soon and no worries, I love the queen far too much to kill her, not to mention what that would do to poor Emma?**


	24. Chapter 24

**Readers: Sorry for the wait. Just have been really busy. I want to thank everyone for your condolences on my grandfathers passing. I also want to thank you all again for all of your support with this story and put in another warning on graphic violence for this chapter, but no major character deaths. I hope everyone continues to read. Sorry again for the poor grammar or any other errors I may have.**

 **Chapter24**

Emma eyes widened in pure shock and she lunged forward towards Shaw, "No! You son of a bitch!" She couldn't believe this, how could he just kill her?

"I'm sorry my Lady, were you expecting me to hand her over?" He said with a sinister smirk.

The blonde grabbed the man by the shoulder with one arm and leaned in as if she were giving him a sideways hug and whispered in his ear, "I'm no lady, it's princess, bitch." pulling him tighter she rammed her double edged sword through the man's middle. She pushed him out at arm's length to see his face. It was contorted in pain, but there was a bit of surprise in his eyes. As she pulled her sword slowly out, she gently push him backwards and almost in slow motion the man fell from the cliff's edge.

Emma fell to her knees. She could not force herself look over the edge for fear of what she would see. How could this be the end, after everything they had been through? The scene continued to play on a loop in her mind. Even if Regina wanted to be with Robin she would make herself stay if that's what Regina wanted. She would do anything to be sure that the woman she loved was all right, but the blonde knew how high they were and there was no way humanly possible for anyone to survive a fall like that.

Silent tears ran down Emma's face as she stared out into the distance. Other than the gasps from the surrounding crowd when the queen was pushed, the air hung heavy with silence. The blonde could only assume that everyone was as shocked as she.

Loud gasps and then cheers came from behind the Sheriff, but she couldn't find the strength to turn around. She figured it was someone alerting them that the battle was finally over, but she felt they had lost. Guilt began to wash over her as she thought of Regina wanting them to just leave Enchanted Forest after they got away from the castle instead of helping the gypsies, and now a small part of her wished she had listened to the brunette.

"Regina!" Snow called out.

Emma turned and saw Regina standing near the crowd with her back to her, Emma stood up with her mouth agape. She narrowed her eyes in confusion then took a step closer to the edge of the cliff to peer over. Down at the bottom, the General's body lay over the jagged rocks. She scanned the rocks with her eyes, but his body was the only one.

She turned back to the crowd to see Regina wrapped in Mary Margret and David's arms. It was an odd sight, but after the conversation she had with her mother, she decided it might not be as odd as one might think. Emma slowly stepped forward. She was suddenly afraid she was hallucinating and the closer she got to the brunette the more changes that she could disappear just like a mirage.

Robin appeared out from behind a group of soldier and he wrapped his arms around the queen. Emma stopped, her heart sank into her stomach, she was not feeling very well.

The archer seemed to hold the queen for quite some time which made the blonde let her eyes travel around the group and landed on Mulan's. The warrior smiled, but it did not reach her eyes.

Emma couldn't take it. Regina had Robin, and Emma was alone again. She would stay in Story Brooke, but she would be joining Leroy on his drinking binges.

She looked back to the dark haired woman and saw Robin release her. They had spoken softly to one another making it impossible for anyone less than a few inches of them to hear the words. Suddenly Regina looked up, "Oh God, Henry!" And then she disappeared into a purple cloud of smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Emma made eye contact with her mother. Snow had been smiling with tears in her eyes until she saw her daughter's face. She gasped putting her hand over her mouth to quiet the sound. She started to walk towards the blonde, but Emma put her hand up for her to stop. The blonde turned back around and stared out over the cliff.

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He heard the snap before he actually felt the pain in his forearm. He grunted out his pain as his body came to a stop from rolling, leaving the teen on his back. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths in order to work through the pain and nausea.

As he opened his eyes he saw the maid leaning down to grab him, "You little bastard. You could have killed us both."

Henry slapped at her attempts with his good arm. She managed to grab his shirt and at the same time he jerked away causing her to fall to her knees. Sitting up Henry crawled backwards as fast as his legs and one arm would allow, but was stopped by a large rock as he plowed into his back, knocking the air out of his lungs for a moment.

"Oh no you don't, you little shit." The maid said as she crawled after him. Grabbing his pant leg she started to pull herself towards the teen's upper body. Henry pulled up his leg up and then pushed it forward with all of his might, kicking her square in the face. Blood shot from her nostrils as she yelped.

Henry thought for she that would stop her, but as he went to crawl away she jumped on him. The blood from her nose dripped onto his shirt as he struggle with his good arm to fight her off. The teen screamed out in pain when Sarah grabbed his broken arm and squeezed it. He could feel the bone rub together under his skin and the pain was excruciating. Tears sprang to his eyes, as he tried desperately to move her hand.

With one hand on the teen's hurt arm, the other one reached into her waistband of her dress and pulled a small dagger. Henry's eyes widened when he saw the blade now coming towards his head. He grabbed her wrist fighting to keep it away. For a small framed woman, she was extremely strong. Henry had never been a vain child to worry with what his body looked like. He thought those jocks from school who worked out all the time were way too concerned with how they looked, but now he made a mental note, that if he survived this, he really needed to hit the gym.

Just as the bladed tip grazed his cheek, Henry smelled his mother's perfume. He almost rolled his eyes at himself. How manly was it for your last thought to be of your mother?

Suddenly Sarah was flung off of the teen several feet to the right of him. A very angry Regina stood glaring down at the fallen maid, and then she looked at her son, "Henry? Are you all right?"

Henry was stunned for a moment, but then nodded his head, "Yeah, I think my arm is broken, but other than that I think I am good."

His mother narrowed her eyes as she turned back to the dazed maid who was now trying to climb to her feet, "How did you…" The maid's words were interrupted by Regina.

"How did I get away from Harold or how did I get my magic back?" Regina slowly walked closer to Sarah.

The girl looked around and then smiled weakly, "Umm, both."

Regina smiled back, but it was far from friendly, "Your father is dead", instant tears welled up in the maid's eyes, "And I have no idea how I got my magic back." The queen stepped closer as the maid walked backwards, "I told you that you would die for putting your hands on my son."

Sarah continued to slowly walk backwards in some poor attempt to keep her distance from the queen, "We just had a slight misunderstanding is all." She said with a forced smile.

Regina raised an eyebrow, "Is that what you call it?" She waved her hand in the air causing Sarah to be restrained by an invisible force.

"My father would have given you anything, but you betrayed him." The maid said with a slight sneer to her voice.

"Oh, I am sure Harold Shaw would have given me what he deemed fit. I would die before I every laid with that man again, let alone stay an eternity as his wife. This realm is a much better place without him." Regina tilted her head.

"Fuck you. My daddy is the best thing that ever happened to me. He loved me, spent time with me and bought me things. He was the only person to make me feel special." A tear slipped down her cheek.

"Yet you are still a maid catering to him and all of the other royals who might have entered those castle walls. You were nothing to him, and as soon as he was done with you, he would have tossed you to the side the same as he did your mother." Regina said.

"You know nothing. I would do anything for my father and he knew it. He said he would give me his name as soon as he was king and I would be a royal instead of a servant." The maid explain tilting her head up with pride.

Regina chuckled, "You are so naïve girl."

"Daddy told me to kill your bastard son. He said there was no way he could have him hanging around when he knew the boy wasn't his. I was going to cut his body into pieces and gift them to you, one by one as a gift." The girl smiled.

Anger overwhelmed the mayor as she flicked her wrist. A loud snap came from the maid's arm as she cried out. Regina hadn't planned to kill her really, but she was quickly changing her mind.

The queen took a final step closing the distance between her and the younger woman. Now that she was close she could see the dried blood from her nose and the swelling the injury was causing Sarah's eyes. The slight imprint of her son's size nine was stamped on her face, "I see my son gave you a lovely parting gift."

The maid snorted and rolled her eyes, "This would have been the only hit he got in, had you not showed up and ruined it."

Regina's lips were still curled upwards slightly, but her eyes were dark. She glanced back to Henry. He knew how hard his mother had worked to be good and he was proud of her, but he knew how she was feeling, "Do it Mom."

Regina smiled more as she turned back to the maid. Without a word she drove her hand into the other woman's chest and pulled out her heart. The maid gasped and grunted from the pain of another person's hand being inside her and then to rip out their still beating organ.

Regina held the heart up and gazed at it, "You have been a very bad girl Sarah."

Henry stood up so he could see what his mother was referring to. The heart in the mayor's hand had a very black center; the only red was just around the edges. He had seen his mother's heart and it had much more red in it and he also knew some of his mother's evil deeds, so this girl must have done some really dark stuff.

"Is this supposed to scare me? You haven't proven anything since you have been back. You don't have it in you." Sarah taunted. "You would never kill me in front of your poor little boy."

Regina arched an eyebrow, and then turned back to Henry as if she were looking for permission. He walked a couple of steps closer to the two women. He had planned to tell his mom to just let it go. She wasn't worth it, but then Sarah spoke to him, "Do you have any idea what my father would have done to the queen had she stayed. She would have refused him, the same as my own mother at first, but then after a while she would have gotten tired of fighting him after realizing my father always gets what he wants."

Henry felt vomit rise up in his throat and he forced it back down, "Crush it."

Regina seemed surprised at her son's demand and started to deny him except the maid continued to run off her mouth, "Had you lived until we got back to the castle, you would have heard your mother's screams through the stone walls." She smiled.

Regina narrowed her eyes and with a slow squeeze, the queen crushed the heart into dust. The maid's lifeless body fell hard to the ground.

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The sad expression on Emma's face was nearly impossible not to notice. As hard as it was for even himself to believe, it hurt the pirate. When he had first met the blonde, this uncontrollable desire to never want to see her heartbroken washed over him. He always told himself he only ever wanted to see her smile.

Killian watched from a good distance away as Snow and David hugged their daughter. When they finally walked away from her, he stared for a moment. Emma stayed standing near the cliffs edge, just peering out into nothing.

The pirate took a deep breath and started towards her. He had to talk to her and she had to listen. This was as good of time as any and he would have to deal with any black lash she threw at him. He couldn't take seeing her in pain any longer.

He passed David and Snow as he got closer. David smiled sadly but nodded as he gave the pirate an encouraging pat on the arm. Hook tried to play over in his mind what he was going to say. He had to make her listen to him and he couldn't let her dismiss him again.

Killian stopped when he was a few feet away from the blonde as she stood with her back to him, "Emma, I need to talk to you and I don't want you to say anything. I just need you to listen."

The blonde didn't say anything, nor did she turn around, so he took it as his que to continue. He swallowed hard as he suddenly couldn't remember what he had practiced saying in his mind only moments ago.

He blurted, "I know you are in love with Regina."

At this, the blonde's head turned slightly, but she still didn't turn around.

"I'm not mad about it." He chuckled lightly, "I mean I'm a little sad, I suppose, but I made a pact with Henry that I would help with his operation Swan-Queen." He smiled.

He heard Emma release a breath of air, but still she continued to look straight ahead.

"I do love you Swan, but I will give anything to ensure you are happy even if it is with the Evil Queen." Killian said.

Finally the blonde slowly turned around. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, "It doesn't matter. She has Robin."

The pirate narrowed his eye and tilted his head, "Robin? No she doesn't. Robin is with Zelena."

Watery green eyes shot up to Killian, "Zelena? What are you talking about?"

Suddenly Killian was feeling as if he didn't think talking was the best idea. He glanced around behind him hoping one of the Charmings may be close by to help him out, but of course they weren't, "Well, your dad found out that Robin has been cheating on Regina for the past few months with her sister."

The atmosphere changed to instance tension and the green eyes now were dark, "He did what?"

The pirate had actually thought the blonde would be happy finding this information out. He was a little surprised that her response was anger.

He wasn't sure what to say, but as he opened his mouth to speak, and she cut him off, "Are you kidding me right now? He has been cheating on her for months?" She didn't wait for an answer, she stormed off in the direction of the archer.

"Bloody hell." The pirate said as he went to follow.

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Regina had healed her son's arm as well as she could, she was able to lessen his pain, but he would still need a cast when they got back home. She kissed her son's forehead and wrapped her arms around him, as they both disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

When Robin had leaned close to her back on the cliff, he told her to go to Emma. He told her that Emma would love her the way she deserved to be loved. Maybe she should have put up more of a fight with his words or even been surprised, but she had already chosen Emma days ago. Now all she wanted was to see her face and hold her in her arms.

When the smoke faded, Regina and Henry were standing back near the cliff. She scanned the area looking for the sheriff. She spotted her and smiled. The blonde was stomping towards Robin. The mayor wasn't sure what was going on, but as Hook passed the mother and son, she saw him look apologetically at Henry, "I'm sorry mate."

The queen glanced over at her son who looked as confused as she did. She looked back to Emma just in time to see her draw back and punch Robin in the jaw, "How could you! You piece of shit! I would have given anything to be in your position with Regina and you do this to her?"

Robin rubbed his jaw, but appeared to be unable to speak at this time, so the blonde went on, "Do you know what I went through all of those months when you came back. Suddenly you were back and you took everything, only to turn around and do this."

David hurried over, "Emma, come on. I think we just need to calm down and…"

"Calm down? You knew this entire time and didn't tell me? I can't believe you." Emma said with disbelieve in her features.

Killian walked up, "Emma, you can finally be with her." He said with a small smile.

Regina's eyes widened at the pirates words. She felt like everyone knew a secret except her.

"What, so I'm the consolation prize?" A tear rolled down the blonde's face and she slowly turned to walk away.

"What is going on?" Regina asked loudly so everyone could hear.

She thought for a moment Emma would turn and explain or at least be happy to see her, but instead the blonde only paused briefly to look at the queen and their son. Tears streaked her face as she walked passed.

"Emma…" Regina started, but stopped as the blonde disappeared in her own white colored smoke.

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Snow closed her eyes when she saw the hurt in her daughter's face. This had not gone at all how she imagined it would. She had thought it would be pretty open and closed. Emma would get her queen and they would all live happily ever after. The shorter hair brunette shook her head at herself. That was just more of that naïve thinking she was so famous for.

"Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Regina finally asked breaking the awkward silence.

Snow walked over to her and then turned to address the crowd who were all still standing around as if they were spectators at some sporting event, "Everyone, please go back to what you were doing. Prisoners need to be collected so that we can take them back to the castle to lock them up." She looked up at the sky, "And we need to do this quickly, more snow is on the way."

After a brief wait, the crowd went about doing as they were told. Snow walked up to Regina and Henry. She gently wrapped her arms around her grandson, "We were so worried about you."

The teen hugged her back with his good arm, "I'm fine. My mom saved me."

Snow released the boy and looked up at the older brunette, "I knew she would."

Regina gave a tight lipped smile, but asked, "What was Emma talking about."

Snow made eye contact with Henry, "Why don't you go and see if you can help your grandfather."

He smiled, knowing she needed to be alone with his mother and then he walked away.

She looped her arm through Regina's as she started to walk. Snow could feel the older woman tense up, but she didn't release her and the mayor did not resist, "David had to do some surveillance at the hospital due to a theft. He found evidence that Robin had been sneaking in to see Zelena several times a week ever since they got back from New York. David had planned to confront him about it, but Henry found out first and did it himself. Henry told him to tell you or he would. I guess the archer fell for her while they were in New York or something." The princess chuckled softly, "Henry was so angry, he was a spitting image of you."

"So now Emma thinks I will choose her just because he chose Zelena?" Regina asked, more to herself then to the woman beside her.

Snow knew it was more of a rhetorical question so she just nodded her head lightly. The queen stopped, causing the other woman to stop as well. Snow looked over at her and could see she had closed her eyes, "I chose Emma well before this."

Snow smiled at her, "It's not me you need to say that too."

Regina opened her eyes and looked over at the shorter haired brunette, "So it's true."

Snow raised an eyebrow waiting for her to explain.

"It's true that you are okay with Emma being with me?" Regina asked more sheepishly this time.

Snow laughed lightly and then took a deep breath before slowly releasing it, "I have realized a lot since the two of you have been gone." She wasn't sure if she should share her emotions with the mayor or not, for fear she may not be receptive to them, but she remembered the past stressful week and figured what the hell, "I would like to first say that I am truly sorry for being a naïve spoiled brat when I was growing up." She waited for Regina to stop her, but she didn't, "I'm sorry my father never treated you like the queen you deserved and I am sorry for never standing up for you to him. Most of all, I am sorry for telling your mother about Daniel."

Regina's mouth fell open slightly in bewilderment of the confession she was hearing. A tear slid down her cheek.

"I know that I have always loved you, rather as a mother figure or a friend. You may have hated me with every breath you took, but you were the greatest thing to happen to me after my mother died." Snow saw more tears fall from the queen's eyes, "As far as you and Emma being together, I think you are both exactly what other needs. Not to mention how happy it makes my grandson who loves you both more than either of you could even possibly imagine."

Regina seemed to be struggling with her emotions and Snow took that as her que to leave the woman alone to process her thought. She turned to walk away when she was grabbed and pulled into a tight embrace by the queen. To say she was surprised was an understatement, but she quickly returned the hug.

After what seemed like forever yet not long enough, the mayor released the shorter haired brunette. Her eyes locked with Snows, "I never hated you."

Mary Margret raised an eyebrow, "Really? Well then I would hate to see how you would spend a lifetime wanting revenge on someone you did actually hate."

Regina laughed, "I thought I hated you, but I really hated myself and I slowly became the person I saw myself as." She paused looking back at the people in the group, "Does your idiot husband think the same way as you, or are you rouge on this?"

Snow looked back catching her husband's eye for a second and then she waved him over, "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

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Emma appeared at the construction site. As much as she wanted to run away and hide from the world, she couldn't leave without knowing if Esmeralda and the others were all right. She looked around and could see Maleficent leaning up against a half torn down metal fence and beside her stood Zelena, looking as cheery as ever.

Emma attempted to walk right passed them, but Zelena's annoying voice called out, "How is the queen doing?"

"Fine." Emma shot over her shoulder.

"Well, that is a pity…" Zelena started in her usual sarcastic tone.

Emma appeared in a matter seconds in front of the red head, "I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself bitch."

"Someone is a bit touchy. I thought you would be in a better mood knowing that Robin won't be a problem for you." Zelena smiled.

"I could kill him for betraying Regina like he did." Emma hissed but turned to walk away.

"Well isn't this the pot calling the kettle black? For you to be magically connected to Regina in the manner you are, proves you and our queen already bumped uglies."Zelena sneered.

Emma had to shake the chill that ran up her spine at the way the red head chose to describe Regina and her love making. She made it sound vulgar and distasteful, and to Emma it was anything but. Without thinking too far into it, Emma shot her hand out in the direction of the red head causing a white light to send a burst toward her, knocking her a few feet back. The blonde gasped as she remembered the other woman was pregnant, but before she could apologize, Zelena sent a burst at her causing her to fly back and skid across the snowy ground.

"How dare you. My magic is twice as old as yours, I can crush you." The red head said stepping forward.

Emma climbed to her feet with a glare, but before she could open her mouth, Maleficent stepped between them, "Well that's nice, my magic is older than either of yours, so I suggest you knock this shit off, before I give you a lesson in antiques." Her eyes glowed green and there was a hair rising growl that rumbled from her throat.

Emma widened her eyes in surprise and immediately stopped. Zelena looked a little more hesitant but at the last moment turned away. As much as it was a harsh reality that this bitch was related to the woman she loves, it didn't make it any easier to like her.

The blonde walked passed the fence leaving the two witches. Her task could now return to finding her friends. Across the yard she could Esmeralda, Cappi, Eladon, and Phoebus kneeling over the gypsy woman's mother. Emma had forgotten briefly that the Captain had stabbed her. She jogged up to the group and knelt down with them.

The old woman was still breathing, but it was much labored. By the puddle of blood beneath her, Emma could tell she had lost a lot of it.

Esmeralda looked up at the blonde. They were desperately searching her face, but she said nothing. Instantly the sheriff knew what she wanted, but she didn't know if she was powerful enough. She swallowed and then looked back to the two witches standing by the fence, "Mal, Zelena!" She called.

The two witches made their way over. Zelena looked down at the old woman, and then to Emma, "Did you call us over to watch an old woman die?"

Emma glared up at her but then spoke towards Maleficent, "Help me heal her."

The blonde raised an eyebrow and then looked over at the red head.

"What are you looking at me for? I have never healed anyone before," Emma could tell she meant to sound like she didn't care, but there was something else.

"You can't or you won't?" Emma asked.

Zelena shot her eyes down to the blonde and the blonde could see the fear, "I don't know if I can."

Maleficent rolled her eyes. She grabbed the red heads wrist and knelt, forcing the other woman down with her, "It's time you learned a new trick."

All three women placed their hands over the old woman's wound causing Zelena to complain, "If this dress gets ruined, you are paying the dry cleaning bill." Emma wanted to laugh a little. This was definitely Regina's sister.

Maleficent jabbed the red head lightly with her elbow, "Concentrate on what you are supposed to be doing."

Each of the women closed their eyes as the group of gypsies watched with anticipation. Green light illuminated from both Maleficent's hands and Zelena's hands, while white light came from Emma's.

The blonde pictured the wound on the side of the old woman healing. Her hand seemed to be warming up. She kept her eyes closed as she imagined the old woman's breathing returning to normal and life coming back to her eyes. Emma's hands were on fire now and she slowly opened her eyes.

The old woman's eyes were open and she was watching the three women with a small smile on her face. Emma looked over at the other two witches and could see that they had stopped as well.

"Momma!" Esmeralda sobbed as she hugged the old woman.

Emma smiled and looked over at Zelena, who looked to be in a state of shock. She could see the potential for goodness in the woman, but boy was it deep. She was brought from her thoughts as Eladon and Cappi cheered loudly as did a larger group of gypsies that had gathered around to see the miracle.

Without warning, Eladon grabbed the red head in a bear hug and brought her to her feet, "You did it!"

The look on the witch's face was priceless. It was now obvious that she wasn't shown much affection in her life, because she looked around like she was being attacked. Luckily Eladon set the woman down before she blasted him.

Cappi helped the old gypsy woman to her feet and her daughter followed. She walked over to the three women who had saved her mother and wiped her eyes, "Thank you all so much. I could never repay you for what you have done for me and my mother, but I will forever be in your debt." She reached up and hugged Emma tightly, "Thank you for coming back for us."

Emma smiled as the gypsy released her, "What are friends for?"

Zelena was still a bit dazed when Esmeralda hugged her. Emma watched as the red head struggled with her emotions, but to the blonde's surprise the red head smiled at the other woman.

"Princess Emma?" A man's voice called from behind her.

She turned to see a guard on his knee, "We have secured the battle field. What is our next order?"

Emma was speechless at first. She had not thought that the army would continue to answer to her, "Umm…" She looked around the field at the bodies, "Have a group of men collect the bodies of the fallen. Eladon will direct you in what he and his people want done with the bodies of his kin. All of those fallen solidiers, including that of the Captain, should be buried."

Esmeralda protested, "He doesn't deserve a burial."

Emma wasn't sure what to say, so the gypsy's mother stepped up touching her daughter's arm, "Everyone should be buried. We are not like the General or the Captain, we are better than that." The old woman smiled, but her daughter's scowl remained so she added, "Besides that, do you really want to be haunted by that man because his soul is not at rest?"

The dark haired beauty's features softened, "I guess you're right."

The soldier she had given the orders to stood waiting patiently, "Bury all of the soldiers. You can send some men to the cliff that is a couple of miles east of here; the General's body is at the bottom."

The man merely nodded his head and started to walk away as Emma asked, "What about the prisoners in the dungeon?"

The man turned, "I would assume they are still there princess. Shall I send a man to release them?"

Emma turned to look at the group behind her then turned back, "No. I think we will take care of it, thank you."

The soldier nodded his head again and walked away to give the orders.


	25. Chapter 25

Sorry it has been a while, I am a tattoo artist and time to write does not always come often, plus it is income tax time and lots of people want tats, so I stay pretty busy. I want to say that for anyone who is highly against Zelena, then you may not want to read this story anymore. I don't plan out my stories before I write; the ideas come to me as I type. I am sorry for the guest who hates Zelena and I am sorry if you no longer wish to read because you feel that she is a rapist and you cannot stomach her having a baby in the manner in which she did. The baby she is pregnant with in my story, is the same baby she has already given birth to on the show itself. Anyone else who doesn't like her, I am sorry, but I think Regina should be able to have a relationship with her sister, because she too was Evil once upon a time. Anyways, thank you to everyone who is still reading, I hope you continue to like it. I apologize for all of the bad grammar and misspellings.

 **Chapter25**

Emma sat on the balcony railing with her back against the castle wall. She had instructed the cooks and maids to prepare a feast that would feed many. The guards had been instructed to assist in helping care for the gypsies, who were sick or wounded. All of the others were invited to stay in the castle or they were free to go.

Esmeralda, Phoebus and her mother chose to stay for fear that her mother was not well enough to travel yet. Eladon and Cappi set out to find Florica and the rest of their caravan so they could bring them back. Most of the others chose to leave. Many hoped that their families might still be hiding somewhere; others wanted to get as far away from the castle and the construction site as they could.

Esmeralda's mother had told her how she had been commanded by the Captain to curse the bracelet and Emma the night they were attacked by the wolves. She explained that the bracelet was connected to her and that is how she was able to keep Regina's magic blocked, however when the old woman was dying on the ground, she was able to release the curse because she was not strong enough to stay connected with it. It was in that instant that Regina had fallen from the cliff. The blonde had closed her eyes to thank the Gods for being on their side and for protecting the older brunette.

The blonde was taking a small break before she went back in to continue healing more of the sick who had been in the dungeon. Maleficent had been steadily healing and had yet to even pause. Surprisingly enough, Zelena had been a huge help in healing some of the people that was until she nearly passed out. The baby was taking a lot out of her and the amount of magic needed to heal the severity of illnesses and wounds these people had was exhausting all by itself.

Emma slid her tired legs off of the railing and then hopped down. She had left Mal alone long enough and needed to get back and help. Horses' hooves could be heard in the distance and she looked over the balcony towards the front gates. Tons of horses carrying soldiers were headed her way.

A moment of panic ran through her until she saw Mulan. At first she thought the soldiers were coming to attack. Not far behind the Asian beauty rode her parents and Henry. Her eyes scanned the over the crowd, but she didn't see Regina. Just as she was about to worry, there she was, riding a stunning black stallion. It was like a scene from harlequin, it made the blonde's breath catch. The moment only lasts a second, because her eyes settled on the archer who was riding next to her.

Suddenly she felt like she was back in Story Brooke watching through the mansion windows again. Her chest felt heavy and the exhaustion was making her emotional. She turned away from the railing and went back inside. She just needed to concentrate on healing the gypsy people and not worry about her heart right now.

They had set up cots and tables in the grand ball room so that all of the sick and injured could be looked after in one area large enough to house them all. Emma heard a guard counting when they had first started bringing people into the room, but the blonde had quit listening after the number went over fifty.

As she entered the ball room, she could see Mal stumble slightly as she went to help the next person.

Emma hurried over to her and put her arm on her shoulder, "Mal, you need to take a break."

"There are still a lot of people that need healing." She said in a quiet voice.

"And we will get to them, but your magic is no good to them if you are too weak to use it." Emma smiled.

Maleficent looked as though she wanted to protest, but the dizziness she was experiencing made her nod in agreement. She turned and walked out of the room. Lots of bed seemed vacant now and Emma could only assume that it meant that Mal had healed the people who once occupied them and they left.

Not all of the sick or injured people were gypsies. Some of them were soldier who had fought against them. Suddenly an image of the soldier she had killed on the battle field entered her mind. She felt guilty that she didn't feel as guilt as she should have for killing the man. It only made her angrier with the General.

Her thoughts drifted to Regina. The stories she had heard about the Evil Queen, made Regina sound just as evil as Shaw. She found it hard to believe the woman she loved could ever have been that cruel. She knew the truth, but she could only see the slightly uptight and very caring woman who had given unconditional love to a child that the blonde gave away.

Now she found herself thinking of Henry and what a horrible mother she was for not even checking to see if he was all right when she stormed off after hitting Robin. She ran a hand through her hair and let out a deep breath. She had been such a jerk because she had a temper tantrum.

"Emma I need you over here." Esmeralda's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

She could see the gypsy knelt down next to a soldier lying on a cot. As she got closer, she recognized his face. He had been one of the soldiers who Emma had seen through Regina's eye, slaughtering the sickly gypsy people.

The darker haired woman was applying pressure to a deep gash that was in the man stomach. Had the blonde seen this injury before she knew about magic, she would guarantee his death, but since she did in fact have magic, she was about to change his odds. She placed her hands over the man's wound and closed her eyes. He had lost a lot of blood and his breathing was much like the elderly gypsy woman from earlier.

"I don't know if I can do this alone." Emma said as she swallowed.

"All you can do is try. I have faith in you." Her dark haired friend said.

She concentrated on healing the wound and her hand heated up. As the blonde began to picture his breath coming back to normal Esmeralda gasped causing the sheriff to open her eyes.

"I think we are too late, he's lost too much blood and he's not breathing." The gypsy said sadly.

Emma clenched her teeth together. She thought she was supposed to have the strongest magic at least that is what everyone kept telling her. She closed her eyes again, leaving her hands where they were. She took a deep breath and slowly released it as she imagined his heart beating, his lungs expanding and she imagined life returning to his eyes. Her hands were on fire, but she kept her eyes closed. Emma head was starting to spin and her heart was racing. She almost felt like she was floating as she felt heat fill the rest of her body.

A loud intake of air came from below her. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the soldier panting with his eyes wide. A strange feeling came over the sheriff as she looked around. Her entire body was shining a brilliant white light and she and the soldier were floating several feet up in the air.

Emma could see all of the people in the room with their eyes on her. Movement caught her attention from the door way and she turn her head to see a very stunned Snow, David, and Henry standing dumbfounded in the doorway.

"Emma, no!" Regina shouted as she rushed through the doorway.

The magic Emma was emitting was dissipating and the man and her body floated softly back down to their more grounded position. As soon as the light from her body went out, the blonde found it hard to keep her eyes open. Her body felt numb and she was just so tired.

Regina ran over to the blonde catching her as she started to fall back onto the stone floor, "Emma, stay with me."

"Hey beautiful." The sheriff managed to slur out before the world went dark.

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"How could you let her do this without explaining the consequences?" Regina asked.

"I thought she knew what she was doing. I would never have expected her to bring someone back from the dead. We were only healing sick and wounded. The dark haired gypsy's mother was nearly dead, but there were three of us who healed her." Mal explained.

Regina rubbed her forehead before crossing her arms, "She could have died. Hell she could still die." Tears were welling up in the queen's eyes, but she refused to cry in front of the dragon.

Mal stood from the love seat she had been resting on, "Regina, I didn't know she would try and heal someone that far gone, and I certainly didn't know she would actually be able to do it. None of us have been able to bring someone back from the dead successfully, not even the dark one."

Regina walked to the window and peered out. She knew she was being too hard on the older blonde. All she could think about was Emma who was in a coma like state in the queen's chambers. Nothing was ever going to be easy for her. It made her want to scream out at the top of her lungs.

Maleficent walked up behind the queen, "If your princess is mighty enough to raise the dead, then she will pull through this."

Regina's eyes never left the window where she was looking out into nothing. The snow had started falling again and she couldn't see through it. She just wanted to let Emma know how much she loved her and go home with the two loves of her life.

Footsteps caused her to turn towards the door where her son was entering carrying a tray, "Thought I would find you here." He smiled at his mother and carried the tray over to a small table, "I brought you two some dinner."

Mal smiled at the boy and walked over to the table and pulled up a chair, "Well aren't you the good son? I am quite famished."

Regina didn't move from the window, instead she continued to stare out at the five feet of visibility she had.

"Mom, come and eat." Henry said softly.

"I'm not hungry right now, but thank you." She said.

"Oh no you don't. Come over here and sit down now." He said raising his voice.

Both Maleficent and Regina looked at the boy in surprise. The queen started to scold the teen, but he cut her off.

"I watched Emma starve herself, go without sleep and I lost her for months, I will not go through it again, so sit down and eat." Henry was very stern and his eyes meant business.

Regina looked over at the dragon who stared back at her with the same intensity, "Fine." She said plopping down into the wooden chair. Her son said nothing as he put a bowl down in front of her and one in front of Mal. She really wasn't hungry and looking down at the bowl of stew, she wanted to toss it out the window. It seemed that was all they ate around here, but instead of causing a scene that would further upset her son, she took a bite. The only thing she was thankful for with the stew was that at least they had seasonings here at the castle.

"The cook said it was the easiest thing for her to make on short notice and that would feed so many people." Henry gave a tight lipped smile.

She had to take her mind off of Emma and this stew, "You said that it took three of you to heal Esmeralda's mother? Who was the third?" She asked Maleficent.

The blonde woman swallowed the bite she had chewed and answered, "Your sister."

Regina raised an eye brow, "My sister? Zelena helped save someone?" She found it hard to believe that woman could ever think of anyone other than herself.

"She did, and she helped to heal many other people here. That was until the magic and the baby wore her out." Mal said.

Henry sat down in a vacant chair watching his mother. Regina hadn't really noticed as her mind was now on her sister, "What is she up to I wonder?"

"Up too?" Mal asked and then took another bite.

"Zelena doesn't do things out of the kindness of her heart, there has to be something up her sleeve." Regina said still deep in thought.

"Maybe she just wanted to help people." Henry said as he nudged his mother's forearm for her to take another bite.

Regina took another bite and then said, "Have you met Zelena? She has yet to do something that didn't benefit her."

"Tell me how you really feel Sis." Zelena said from the doorway.

Regina didn't turn to look at her, "Tell me you did this out of the kindness of your heart."

"I could tell you whatever you wanted and you wouldn't believe me." The red head sneered.

The queen put her spoon down and turned to look at her half-sister, "You're right; I wouldn't believe a damned thing you say."

Zelena walked over to the window that Regina had been standing at only moments ago and peered out in a similar fashion, "I don't have to explain myself or my actions to you."

Regina noticed the hushed tone in the red heads voice and she looked up at her face trying to read her expression.

Mal scooted her chair back, "Well I think Henry and I should go and find something to do."

Her son took the hint and exited the room with the older blonde. Henry turned, "Don't forget to eat." She watched them leave, but stayed quiet until the door was closed behind them, "Why did you help?"

Zelena turned towards her sister, "I don't know."

Regina furrowed her brows. She had expected some snarky comment or some snide insult, but instead she got, 'I don't know'. That left the brunette speechless.

"I can see how you are looking at me and if you think I am going to spill my guts in some kind of sisterly bonding experience, and then you would be wrong." Zelena said. Her face was the same snarky face she always wore, but her eyes were screaming an entirely different tune.

"And if you think I am going to beg you to tell me your secrets while we braid each others hair, then you would be wrong. I have other things to worry about than your motives." Regina replied.

The queen wanted to be mad at the other woman for the whole Robin thing, but the truth was, she wasn't. She found herself feeling relieved that she wasn't the one breaking his heart. She could see the dark circles under the red heads eyes and it just validated that she was tired from using so much healing magic, "You should go and get some rest."

"Oh no need to start worrying about me now Sis." Zelena shined a fake smile.

"I wasn't. My concern lies with your unborn child." Regina tried to sound snarky, but she lacked the conviction.

The red head sat down in the chair her nephew had been seated in and grabbed Regina's bowl. She picked up the spoon dipping into the liquid substance and then bringing it to her nose to smell it. After a second she shrugged and put the food into her mouth.

"How do you know I didn't poison that?" Regina asked surprised the other woman would just pick up someone else's plate and eat from it.

"You wouldn't want to harm my unborn child." She said with a smirk.

Regina rolled her eyes. There was a different tension between them, maybe an even lighter one, but it was still there. This woman hated her for the life she had growing up, and Regina hated that life. It was all very stupid really, but yet here they were.

The queen leaned back in her chair and rubbed her forehead again. She was so tired from the lack of sleep and the events that have taken place for the last few days. She was tired of fighting and tired of everything. For once in her life she just wanted things to be normal.

"So what is the verdict on the Savior?" Zelena asked.

Regina opened her eyes to read the other woman's express. She was not about to have to deal with her sister's insults, and she couldn't promise at this point that she wouldn't shoot a fireball at her if she said anything close to insulting about Emma.

Zelena tilted her head slightly as she looked back at the brunette, "What? Am I not allowed to ask about her?"

"Zelena, I'm not in the mood." Regina sighed.

The red headed woman stared at the mayor for a long moment, but her expression was unreadable, "I was a little shocked at first that you took Robin and I sneaking around behind your back so well. I honestly expected you to be ready to wage war." She leaned back in her chair, "So, tell me, how did the Charmings take the news?"

Regina wasn't fully confident that she knew what the other woman was speaking of, "What news?"

Her sister curled the corner of her mouth upwards, "Oh now don't play coy with me Sis. How did the Charmings react when they found out about you and the Savior?"

The mayor clenched her jaw muscle, "I don't see how this is any of your business."

"Why do you keep avoiding my questions? Are you ashamed of the Savior?" The red head chuckled lightly.

"No, I am not ashamed of Emma. I just do not feel that you are someone I need to discuss her with. As far as Robin, I should be upset, but I'm not. I realized that I was only in love with the idea of him and I being soulmates, not that I was ever in love with him. I have realized that I am hopelessly in love with a stubborn, clumsy blonde who also happens to be the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming and I don't know how she is doing. I don't know if she is going to die, or stay asleep forever, I just don't know." Regina she raised her voice as tears slipped passed her eyes.

Zelena's eye had widened slightly at her sisters ramblings and somewhat confessions. The brunette regretted it as soon as she opened her mouth. She doesn't know what compelled her to say all of that to the witch, but she couldn't stop herself. The queen rolled her eyes at herself as she quickly stood pushing the chair back, "I have to go."

Just as she made it to the door her sister's voice said, "Your Savior will be all right. The Heroes always prevail."

Regina stopped at the door, but didn't turn around. She could hear the sincerity in the other woman's voice, but it was just too much for her to take right now. She had wished for a sister so many times as a child. She wanted a sister to play with, but most of all, she yearned for a friend with whom she could have shared her secrets with and in turn trusted her to share theirs. She closed her eyes, after all the woman behind her had put everyone through, now was not the time she would try to reconcile things with her long lost sister. The mayor pushed opened the door and disappeared towards the Grand Ballroom. She wanted to let Emma's family spend time with her for now and she thought it best if she checked on all of the gypsies.

Gold was working on some theories and said he would share what Bell and he found later. All she could do now was to wait. The Gods were in deed punishing her.

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David's body jerked awake as he heard footstep coming down the stone steps. He had come down to keep watch over all of the new prisoners here in the dungeon, and make sure everything was written down correctly. He also needed some time alone and thought he would be nice to give the guards a break for a while.

He had watched as the queen had magically transported his daughter to her chambers. He had told himself that he accepted his daughter and the queen being together, but it was different seeing it with his own eyes. He hadn't changed his mind about them, it was just weird, he guessed. Being back in the enchanted forest and seeing his ex-nemesis in the whole Evil Queen attire just brought back many unwanted memories mixed with the new images of her caring for Emma.

"You are not supposed to be here." Mulan's voice called from the stairs. "Why aren't you upstairs with your family?"

David stood up and stretched, "I figured they needed some time alone, besides that I wanted to help out down here."

"My men are fully capable of guarding and recording inmates." The Asian beauty said as she came into view, "What are you hiding from?"

David smiled slightly, "I'm not really hiding, just trying to give everyone their space."

"Let me guess." Mulan started as she stood in front of the man looking him in the eyes, "You had convinced yourself that you were all right with your daughter being with Queen Regina, but now you are not so sure."

The number two sheriff chewed his lip and then said, "Something like that, well not really, I mean, I don't know. I know Regina has changed, I've seen it, it's just being back here and everything…" He looked down to the ground, "I mean it always seems Regina is centered on everything that goes wrong in our lives."

Mulan leaned back against an empty cell's bars and crossed her arms over her chest, "So you are saying it is the Queen's fault Emma fell in love with her?"

David sighed, "At one time I would have said yes to that question. She has a way with poison, and there is nothing I would have put passed her. I do blame her for the multiple attempts on my wife's life, making us put our daughter only minutes after she was born in a wardrobe where it took twenty-seven years for us to see her again because of a curse." He stopped as he started to get angry all over again.

"The way I see it, it worked out the way the Ancestor's saw fit. You have a beautiful grandson because of that curse. You can sit and cry about the should of, could of, and would ofs, or you can live life for today and hope for a better tomorrow." Mulan said with an arched eyebrow.

David let out a small chuckle, "My God you sound like a fortune cookie."

Mulan was not amused, "That is very similar to what your daughter said to me back on the road. What is a fortune cookie?"

David shook his head, "It's a long story." He had to give the warrior credit, everything she had said made sense and he agreed with her. As long as he could know for sure that Regina loved his daughter, then he would force himself to let go of these feelings. He had spoken to her back on the cliff, but he didn't get to go too far in depth. She had asked him if he was all right with her and his daughter seeing each other and his answer was yes. Maybe he would get another chance to speak to her soon.

Footsteps on the stairs called his attention. When he looked up, he noticed Ruby.

"Hey David, I didn't know you would be down here." The wolf blushed.

David started to reply, but then paused when he saw the reddening in her cheeks. He looked at Mulan who looked just as he did, "I was just about to go up. Is something wrong?"

The brunette smiled letting her eyes move between the prince and the warrior, "I thought I would come and give Mulan a hand while she is on guard."

David again moved his eyes from the wolf to Mulan and could see her look still mirrored his.

"There is no need for you to have to sit with me. It is a very simple job." The Asian beauty said naïvely.

"I-I was bored anyways and thought that you and I could keep each other company." The wolf said a little nervously, but her eyes were lock with the warriors who was now catching on.

David's eyebrows shot up into his hairline and he began getting antsy, "All right then, I'm going to go and see about Emma." He didn't wait for either woman to respond before he started his quick ascend of the stairs.

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"What are you doing in here?" Hook said as the queen passed him in the Grand Ballroom.

She glanced in his direction, but then let her eyes look around the room, "This is my castle pirate, I can go where ever I like."

Killian rolled his eyes but followed her, "That's not what I meant, Love."

Regina stopped in her tracks and spun to face him, "I am not your love."

Hook ground his teeth for a moment, "No, your Emma's. Why are you not with her?"

Regina's mouth fell open, but she was quick to close it, "Her mother is with her. I came to see if my assistance is needed here."

He could see the worry that passed the queen's eyes. She looked different to him somehow. She looked human with her hair a little messy, the worry and lack of sleep in her eyes. Hook had seen that same look somewhere else. Then he remembered, he had seen that look on his own reflection in the mirror when he didn't know what was wrong with Emma or why she was avoiding him. He actually found himself sympathizing with the woman.

Regina started to walk away, but he gently grabbed her arm causing her to turn back towards him, "You should be with her."

The queen glared at him pulling her arm away from his grip, "What am I supposed to do? She is just lying there and there is nothing I can do about it. Maybe this is the Gods' way of telling me we are not meant to be together." Tears welled up in her eyes and Hook knew that was something she didn't want anyone to see, especially not him.

"That's not true. Even Rumple said you two have a powerful connection that can only be shared between soulmates." Killian said with a small smile.

Regina raised an eye brow, "Why do you care anyways? You've never liked me Hook and I can just imagine how it felt to learn that Emma had feelings for me. And as much as I would like to rub this situation in your face, I actually cannot muster up the strength at this time."

He wanted to scream at her, a little part of him wanted to hit her even, but he forced himself to remain calm, "Well, glad to know where we still stand. I care because I want Emma to be happy and I made a promise to your son that I would help to get you two together."

Regina furrowed her brows, "Why would you do that?" The look on her face was one of annoyance, but the tone of her voice was puzzlement.

Killian didn't want to answer the question. His motives were actually very honorable, but he didn't need to go bleeding his heart out to the Evil Queen.

"Regina." Robin said as he walked up.

For a moment the pirate was glad that he had interrupted. He wasn't getting to far by himself and maybe the archer could put things into a better prospective.

"Robin." The queen replied, but Hook could see she was avoiding eye contact with the other man.

"I thought you would be with Emma." He said.

"Why is everyone so interested in my business?" She said with slight sarcasm.

Robin looked at Killian who raised his eye brow and shrugged his shoulders.

"I am glad that this is working out for the two of us." The archer said casually.

Hook was starting to feel awkward standing in the middle of their conversation. He needed to find some rum.

"What is it that you are referring to?" Regina asked.

Robin smiled, "That things are working out between you and the Savior, and for Zelena and me."

Yep, things were getting very awkward and by the look on the queen's face she was agreeing.

"Look Robin, I am glad that you are happy, but do not for one second think that I have forgotten that you ran around on me for months. Your only saving grace is that I happen to have fallen in love with Emma, which made things much easier for you." Regina said, anger starting to show itself.

Robin looked at Hook who again shrugged his shoulders to indicate that he was on his own with that one.

The Archer tilted his head towards the brunette woman, "Okay, you got me there, but I know things about you too. Like the only way that you and Emma can be connected through your magic, is if you have already slept with her."

Hook's eyes widened, but he didn't want to listen to this. He had agreed to help the two women get together, but that did not mean he wanted to hear about the two of them in bed. Besides, learning this information only made the situation that much more real, "Bloody hell, you don't waste any time do you Love?"

Regina licked her lips as a blush crept up to her cheeks as she ignored the pirate and spoke to Robin, "What the two of us do in private is of no concern of yours."

"What are you guys talking about?" Henry asked as he walked up holding a large pitcher of water.

All three adults made eye contact with one another and then looked back to the teen. Regina and Robin seemed lost for words so Hook took it upon himself to respond, "Ummm, just how much your mum loves Emma." He swallowed and looked back to the queen. Her eyes screamed appreciation for the help.

"Oh." Henry said with a big grin, "They were meant to be together."

The teen walked away to pour water for some of the sick gypsies. Hook looked up at Robin, "I need a drink." He didn't miss the small smile and nod the queen threw his way before he turned to leave. He smiled and nodded back. He would be lying if he said he wasn't a little hurt to find out that the two women had been intimate already. It almost seemed as though Emma had cheated on him, when in reality he knew they were over months ago. A man could hope though, couldn't he?


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter26**

Regina leaned her head against the cold stone of the window frame as she stared out into the darkening snowy sky. David, Snow, Robin and Hook stood in the small room listening to what Rumple had to say. Most would probably think that the queen should be listening, but all she heard was rambling. He had yet to say anything that was useful, he just went on and on about the books he had found and what they said about sorceress' dying from bringing people back from the dead. She didn't want to hear that. She already knew what would happen and what has happened, she just wanted to know how to wake Emma.

"Can't Regina just kiss her or something, you know, like she did when they gained their magical connection?" Snow asked.

The mayor rolled her eyes as she continued to stare out the window. Life was not always as simple as the Charmings tried to make it sound. Things only seemed to work out perfectly for people like them, the heroes, not the villains like her. She rolled her eyes at herself again but was quickly brought from her thoughts when she heard someone clear their throat from behind her.

She turned her head back to see that everyone had stopped talking and were all staring at her, "What?" She asked

"Have you tried kissing her again?" Mary Margret asked innocently.

The smirk on Rumples face did not go unnoticed, "Yes, please do tell us Regina about that magical kiss?"

Regina narrowed her eyes at the imp. He knew damned well that it wasn't just a kiss that connected them. How was she supposed to explain that to the Charmings? Robin was looking anywhere but at her and Hook was only looking down at the floor.

David and Snow seemed to notice the awkwardness that now filled the room and slight reddening of the queen's cheeks, " So do whatever you did last time, if it connected your magic to her then it should wake her up."

Regina rubbed her forehead and sighed loudly, "I'm sure that would be highly inappropriate without her permission."

Robin snorted out a laugh but quickly cleared his throat to regain his poseur. The queen cut her eyes in his direction and then looked over at Hook who was trying to hide his own smile.

"What are you not telling us?" Snow asked crossing her arms over her chest.

"In order for Regina and Emma to share a connection such as theirs, they would have had to be a little more intimate with one another." Rumple said.

Not many things ever embarrassed the mayor. She was not ashamed of her sexual endeavors, she was a grown woman and she had needs just like everyone else. The part that bothered her was that this was Emma's parents and Emma may be embarrassed if she knew they had found out.

"Oh." Mary Margret said looking at her husband and then to the others in the group.

David rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Ummm… I can see where that might be considered inappropriate."

Regina could only imagine the lecture or hateful looks she was about to get from the prefect Prince and Princess, but instead Snow said, "Ok, so a kiss is not going to wake her, what else can we try?"

The queen was a little shocked. She let her eyes move up to David who did the same as his wife, "She obviously can't do what they did last time without a fully alert and participating Emma, what else is there?"

The room went silent for a few moments as Rumple flipped through the pages of his book.

"What if you do that thing Emma kept doing with you when we were on the road?" Hook asked.

Regina raised an eyebrow, "What 'thing' are you referring too?"

Robin nodded his head as he caught on, "Yeah, the meditation thingy where she could talk to you."

Hook nodded, "That's it! Can't you try to do that? I mean I don't know if it will wake her up, but you may be able to see if she is all right." Hook's eyes were lit up with hope and for a moment the queen could actually see the good in him.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, when she opened them everyone was looking expectantly at her. A sudden wave of nervousness washed over her, but she nodded her head to indicate that she would try it. The mayor licked her lips as she attempted to concentrate on feeling Emma.

At first there was nothing. It felt as if the connection had been severed and a sinking feeling crept into her stomach. Suddenly something flashed in front of her eyes, but it was too quick for her mind to register what she saw.

Regina licked her lips again as she concentrated. Another image flashed, only this time she could see the younger woman. The mayor could feel Emma's magic and see her face, but it was blurry, "Emma?" She asked, not sure if the other woman could hear her or not.

The blonde looked up in surprise, "Regina?"

The mayor smiled and let out a small laugh of relief and joy.

Emma narrowed her eyes, "How are you able to do this? I have been trying, but nothing has worked and then I couldn't feel you anymore. I thought you left me."

A tear made its way to Regina's eye, "No, I'm still here. I would never leave you Emma." She could hear the uncertainty in the sheriff's voice and could see the sadness in her eyes, all Regina wanted to do was hold her.

The connection was weak and Emma's image was becoming even harder to see, "Regina, don't leave me." The blonde's voice said as it began to grow fainter, as if she were moving away from the queen.

"Emma?" Regina called, but realized she couldn't hear the other woman's words anymore which probably meant that her words were not getting through to Emma either.

Just like the flash, it was gone. Regina opened her eyes and looked around, "I can't hold the connection."

She hadn't noticed her tears falling freely until Snow stepped closer to her, and spoke gently, "We will find a way Regina, I know it."

Regina looked up at her and then around to all of the face in the room, every mistake she had ever made came rushing back to her, her biggest being that she had not told the blonde how she felt about her. She couldn't handle being in this room any longer and the occupants had seen more of her than she ever dreamed of showing them. She all but ran from the room.

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Henry laughed as he watched his newly found friends trying to play hacky sack. He had been helping with the injured and sick, but was dismissed a little after he began pouring the water when one of the women had gone into labor. He and a couple of the healthier gypsy children were told to wait outside. So, to kill time and boredom, he pulled out his hacky sack from his pocket and started teaching the other two boys how to play.

Henry's eye caught movement to the side of him and he looked up in time to see his mother walking quickly passed him with tears pouring down her face, "Mom?"

She didn't answer she just kept walking. The teen turned to his friends, "I'll be back in a few." The other boys only nodded as they were enjoying this unusual yet fun game.

Henry jogged after his mom. After a short distance he caught up to her and grabbed her arm, "Mom?"

She turned towards him, sadness swimming in her watery eyes. He wasn't sure what to do when she didn't speak to him, but he knew it had something to do with Emma. He quickly embraced the brunette pulling her close to him. At first he was sure she would resist, but soon after she held on tightly and began to sob.

"It's okay Mom. You'll find a way to get her back." Henry whispered in his mother's ear as she buried her face in his shoulder.

"I don't know how." She managed.

Henry moved his head back causing his mother lift her head and look at him and he smiled, "You will. I believe in you, and so does Emma."

The mention of the blonde's name only made her sob again, so Henry held her until she calmed some. He moved them to a window where a bench was so they could sit.

The teen was trying hard to find something to say, but nothing was coming to him. Just when he started to open his mouth his mother spoke, "I've let her down."

Henry gave a tight lipped smile, "No you haven't. You're still trying to find a way to wake her, right?"

Regina wiped her cheeks with her hand and looked out the window, "I should have told her everything and I didn't." Henry watched his mother's face not sure if she knew she was confessing her feelings to him or not, "I thought I would wait till we got back to Story Brooke and let Robin know that I wanted to break up and then I was going to tell her everything."

"So you can just tell her when she wakes up." Henry tried to offer a better smile, but even he knew it was a lie, he too was worried about his birth mother.

"She thinks I left her." She said as more tears fell.

Henry swallowed, "What do you mean?"

"I tried to connect with her like we have before, but it was weak. She told me she thought I left her. Henry, she thinks I don't want her." His mother sniffled and wiped her face again, but continued to look out the window.

"And do you?" He knew the answer she would give, but he needed to see her face to gauge the truth.

"More than anything." She said wiping away another tear as she locked eyes with her son.

Henry gave a genuine toothy grin, "Then you will wake her."

His mother couldn't resist his grins and managed a small smile back. He wished he could make everything go smoothly for his Moms, but ever since the first cure was broken, not many things ever went smoothly.

His mother took a deep breath and stood up, "Now that you have seen your mother look like a weak idiot, I'm going to go and check on Emma, or at least her physical body."

Henry stood up and placed his hands on his mother's shoulder, "You are the strongest person I have ever met, and you are far from weak, and don't ever forget that." He realized he sounded more like a parent than a child, but he wanted his mother to know that she was not weak for shedding a tear for someone she loves.

His mother seemed surprised, but then she hugged him, "When did you grow up so much?" She smiled and pulled back, kissing the side of his head.

Henry watched her as she walked away. He was glad she was finally going to see Emma. He didn't know if it would help, but he thought it might be good for her to be with his adoptive mother while she was feeling this way.

"Hey, Henry, right?" A man's voice asked.

The teen turned and noticed the large dark haired full bearded gypsy man from the construction site. He reminded Henry of a giant as he stood an easy six foot four inches tall. He wore a smile that was warm and inviting.

"Yeah, that's right." The teen stuck out his hand.

The large man's smile grew as he took the teen's hand and shook it, "I'm Eladon, a good friend of your two mothers."

Henry nodded as he dropped his hand to his side, "Did you meet them before all of this?" He asked gesturing towards the gypsies and soldiers who roamed the hallways.

Eladon smiled, "No, I didn't meet them until a few days ago. I had heard of your mother the queen, but we never crossed paths."

"That's probably a good thing." The teen said causing the big man to laugh.

"Come boy. Our elder mother would like to meet you." He said.

Henry shrugged and followed the man down the hall, "You said you were friends with my mom's? Were you friends with both of them, or just Emma?"

The man glanced over at the teen as they walked, "I would like to think both."

Henry wasn't sure what that meant, "You would like to think?"

The man chuckled, "The queen is a little harder to get to know. She's not as easy going as Emma."

"No, she's not, but she does mean well." Henry said defending his adoptive mother.

Eladon glanced down at him and chuckled again at the teen defensiveness when it came to his mother, "Trust me friend, I have the utmost respect for Queen Regina and I have seen firsthand how much she has changed."

They reached the door to a large dining room and walked inside. Henry's eyes widened at the amount of people who were inside. He followed the large man across the room towards a table where an old woman was sitting. He felt a little uneasy because everyone's eyes were on him.

Henry stopped beside Eladon at the end of the table and the man spoke, "Florica, this is Prince Henry."

Everyone seemed to bow in his direction and he put up his hands as his cheeks reddened with embarrassment, "There's no need to bow, I'm not that kind of prince."

The old woman at the end of the table laughed, "You are the son of Queen Regina and Princess Emma, so that makes you 'that' kind of prince."

The teen heard Eladon chuckle from beside him, but he didn't look up at the man, "My mom isn't the Evil Queen anymore."

"My dear child, I am well aware that Queen Regina is no longer the Evil Queen, however she has proven to be a worthy Queen." The old woman smiled and then patted an empty chair that was next to her for him to sit in.

Henry could tell that whoever this woman was to the gypsy people, it was someone important. He slowly walked over and sat down in the offered chair. He now knew how the bugs in his biology class felt when they were being looked at through a magnifying glass as everyone was still staring at him.

"Now, let me get a good look at you child." The old woman said reaching over and taking his chin in her hand.

Henry felt a little uncomfortable, but he wasn't about to object to this curious woman.

"Yes, I can see both women in you." She said as she turned his head to one side and then to the other.

"Umm… Mrs, you do know that Emma is my birth mother, right?" Henry asked awkwardly. He didn't want the woman to think he was insinuating that she was ignorant of the fact, but he couldn't look like Regina when they were not blood related.

A low wave of laughter rolled over the room, but the old woman only smiled, "Just because you share blood with one person and not another doesn't mean you can't grow to resemble the other."

Henry arched his eyebrow. He was pretty sure that was exactly what that meant. She released his face and he looked around at the face that looked back at him. He wasn't sure if the old woman was crazy or what.

"You have many physical features that reflect that of Princess Emma, but you have many other characteristics that reflect the queen, therefore, I can see both mothers in you, child. That is something you can be proud of." The old woman said giving another soft smile.

Henry could feel his cheek heating up again because he felt like the ignorant person now. He finally understood what she was saying. He got many things from Emma because of genetics, but many other things he got from his mom because she raised him, so they were learned traits.

"So tell me what is going on with our Princess?" The old woman asked changing the subject.

"Ummm, she was trying to help Esmeralda save a soldier from dying. As she was healing him he died, and she was able to bring him back, but afterwards she passed out and is in some kind of coma." Henry explained.

Several gasps swept through the crowd of gypsies and Henry turned to see if he could see where they came from. He knew it was a big deal to be able to bring someone back from the dead, but he had seen it done before. Dr. Whale was able to bring Daniel back, but then he thought about it. That really hadn't turned out very well because Zombie Daniel tried to kill him. He thought back to the soldier Emma had brought back and remembered him drinking water and acting normal after being resurrected.

"Well, now that is something. Has Queen Regina attempted waking her?" The old woman asked.

Sadness filled Henry's chest when he thought of his mother a little while ago and how upset she was, "Yes. She even tried to communicate with her but it wasn't for very long. She said she couldn't hold onto the connection."

The old woman pursed her lips as she looked to be deep in thought. She turned and looked at Henry, "How is the queen?"

He didn't want to tell his mother's business, but he wasn't about to lie to this woman either, "Not good."

"Where is she now?" the woman asked.

"In her chambers with Emma I think." He answered.

"Go and fetch her child and bring her to me." She told the teen and then looked up at Eladon, "You go and get every magical being that you can find in this castle and you bring them back." Eladon nodded and turned without question to follow orders. She looked up locking eyes with Esmeralda, "Bring your mother." The darker haired woman nodded and disappeared as well.

Henry found himself looking around dumbfounded. This woman must have been like a queen to these people, and he was trying to figure out what she was up to.

"Go child, there is no time to waste, send for your grandparents first, then get your mother." The old woman said startling Henry from his thoughts. He nodded pushing himself away from the table and running out of the door.

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Snow stood anxiously by the door as David knocked. It had been so many years ago when she had last seen the old woman. She had been so ashamed of herself for running away without a word after Mirela died. She thought the woman would blame her when Snow had blamed herself.

The door opened allowing The Prince and Princess to enter. The room was filled with gypsy people and as the couple walked, the crowd parted letting them through. The walk seemed forever and even though the people looked friendly enough, Snow felt it was a walk to the executioner's block.

When the last of the people parted, Florica sat behind the large oak table and Snow was finding it hard to make eye contact. David must have felt her tension because he looked down at her with concern, "Honey, are you all right?"

She wished now she had told her husband of Mirela, but even though she loved her husband, the pain of losing Mirela was still there.

"Snow White. It has been a very long time." The old woman said.

Snow looked up and swallowed, "Hello Florica."

The look her husband was giving her let her know that he was a little confused. She turned to him, "David, this is Florica. She is the Gypsy elder."

The confused looked remain in her husband's eye, but he managed a smile and nodded, "Hello." He then looked back to his wife, "How do you know each other?"

A slight blush rose in the short haired brunette woman's cheeks, but she thought now was as good of time as any. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath then looked at her husband, "Before I met you, I was with her child." She smiled sheepishly.

David smiled, "Oh, so that's why you were so nervous coming in here?" He chuckled, "Where is this ex so I can meet him." He said looking around the crowd.

Snow's eyes darted to the old woman's and then back to her husband's, "David, the ex-died a long time ago." David's face sobered, and Snow continued, "And her name was Mirela."

David's eye widened, but he was quick to regain composure, "I am very sorry for your lose." He said to the old woman. He turned to his wife, "How come you never told me about this?"

"About what? How I was in love in with a woman or how she died?" Snow couldn't take being judged by her own husband, but she would never want to hurt him either.

He touched her cheek, "How come you never told me about the love you lost?"

Tears welled up in the Princess' eyes, and she suddenly found it hard to speak as a lump rose to her throat. She looked over at the old woman whose eyes mirrored hers, "I'm so sorry Florica. I should have never left, but it was my fault that she died and I couldn't face you." The short haired brunette was sobbing now.

The old woman walked up to her and pulled her into an embrace, "I would never blame you child. You have been entirely too hard on yourself all of these years. I loved you like a second daughter and have missed you every day that you have been gone. I lost two daughters after that horrible day. But now here you are, with a family of your own."

Snow looked down towards the ground with shame in her eyes, but Florica grabbed her chin with her hand and raised her head up, "Do not be ashamed my dear, Mirela would want you to be happy, you know that."

Snow nodded, but was still unable to speak without fear of sobbing or choking on her words. David stepped up putting his arm around her shoulder. She looked up at him and he smiled back. She had been worried all the years about telling him, but then when she thought about it, she hadn't been afraid of his treatment of her, she had been afraid of how she would have treated herself.

"I am so happy to see you my dear, but there will be time for catching up later. For now, my concern is with your daughter. I need you to trust me and have your daughter brought down here and placed on that table over there." Florica said.

Snow furrowed her brows and looked at the table that old woman pointed to. Candles were lit and sitting in a circle around it, "What do you plan to do?"

"Queen Regina needs help to keep the connection with Princess Emma. I, and a few others are going to ensure she keeps it." The old woman said.

Snow looked up to her husband. His look was one of concern, but she nodded to let him know it was okay. He looked as if he wanted to argue, but then nodded his agreement.

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Regina sat at the edge of the bed staring down at the sleeping blonde. She was still beautiful, not that she would have changed in the few hours from when she had last seen her, but she couldn't stop the thought. She had been sitting there for a little while, but she had yet to touch the other woman no matter how much her hands and heart begged her. She was afraid that if she touched her she would mess everything up.

The queen kept her hand clasped together in her lap as she stared down, "Damnit Emma. Why does this shit always happen to us?" She had closed her eyes and tried to concentrate several times, but to no avail. The connection was gone and she could no longer feel the blonde.

She couldn't remember feeling more alone than she did right now. Losing the connection to Emma's magic was like losing a huge part of herself she never knew she had. She just wanted the blonde to wake up, wrap her in her arms and kiss her. She reached a shaky hand down to brush a lock of unruly blonde curls away from Emma's face. As soon as her fingers made contact with the blonde's skin, there was an electric shock causing the queen to gasp and pull her hand away, "What the hell?"

Just as she started to touch the other woman again, there was a knock at the door. Regina jumped pulling her hand back again. Cursing under her breath she called out, "Yes?"

The door slowly opened and Henry appeared, "Hey Mom."

She smiled at him. She figured he had come to visit with his other mother and she had probably been sitting here too long, "I'll leave so you can spend some time with her." She said standing up.

"No Mom. I didn't come to see Emma. I came to see you." He said with a frown.

Regina knew her son was worried about her, but she couldn't make these feelings of sadness go away. She only wanted Emma to okay so that Henry, Emma and she could go home. Home? She found herself wondering what that meant. If Emma does wake up, will she still want to be with her, and will Emma remain living with her parents, move to her own apartment or… Regina shook the notion out of her head. Emma wouldn't want to move in with her.

"Mom? You okay?" Henry asked taking a couple of steps towards her.

She shook the thought and smiled softly up at him, "I'm fine."

"There is this old gypsy woman who sent me to get you." He said.

"Old gypsy woman?" Regina asked as she thought of who it could be.

"Yeah, I think her name is Florica." Henry said scratching his head.

"Florica is here?" She looked down at Emma with a frown and then back to her son, "What does she want with me?"

Henry looked at her and tilted his head, "She didn't say." His confused face weighed down on his features, "But she did send some big guy named Eladon to go and find everyone who had magic and bring them to her as well."

The door to the room opened and three men walked in followed by Prince Charming. The men walked passed the queen and started pulling Emma's body up from the bed.

"What in the hell do you think you are doing? Take your filthy hands off her!" Regina shouted as she shoved one of the men back.

"Regina, it's all right." Charming said gently taking her by the arm and pulling her away from the bed, "Florica has asked for us to bring Emma to her."

Regina was more confused. She looked back at the men as they maneuvered the blonde so it to be easier to carry her. The queen clenched her jaw, but decided she would have to go along with this, "Just be careful with her." She hissed as the three men passed her.

David smiled softly, "Snow has faith in this woman, and we have faith in you."

Regina looked hard at the man for a second. After finding no evidence that he was lying, she shook her head up and down lightly. Without warning the prince pulled her into a tight hug. It not only surprised her that he would do that, but it also took the breath from her due to his grip. Luckily it only lasted a few seconds and then he let her go. She looked over at Henry who was grinning and she smiled shyly back at him. This whole mixing the Charming family with the Mills family was going to take some getting used to. She shook her thoughts and followed the males as they exited the room.


	27. Chapter 27

I know this chapter is a bit short, but I thought I would give you guys a valentine's gift. Thank you everyone for reading and I hope your all still enjoying it. You guys rock! ;) Happy Valentines weekend!

Chapter27

Hook stood among the crowd as three men walked in carrying Emma's body. He couldn't help the protective feeling that washed over him as he watched them pass. Charming was directly behind them and he knew the man wouldn't let anything happen to his daughter. Regina and Henry walked in after the Prince. The deep sadness that pulled on the queen's features did not go unnoticed.

Killian gently made his way through the crowd of people to get closer to the front. He watched as the men placed Emma down on a circular table. It was looking more like a sacrifice rather than magic healing, but at this point, neither he nor anyone else had any other choice.

The old gypsy woman they had met by the river was standing at the head of a long table. He watched as Regina approached her sheepishly. The old woman held out her arms and it seemed that the queen fell into them as she sobbed.

He had never seen the mayor look so frail and vulnerable. It was a sight that he found both curious and heart breaking. The old woman whispered something into Regina's ear and slowly, she stopped crying. She raised her head up and the old woman took her face in both of her hand, "You will wake the Princess, my Queen." The old gypsy said.

The old woman looked around the room, "I need all of Emma's and Regina's close friends and family to come up here and stand by them. The more love we can shine on these two ladies the more power the spell will have."

Maleificent, Gold and Zelena were already standing up near Emma. He could only assume that it had to do with their having magic. Snow, David and of course Henry stepped up towards the front. Blue must have been late to the meeting because she strolled in and made her way up to stand with the other three magic wielders.

The rest of the town who had come with them walked up, such as Leroy and the other dwarves, Ruby, Tinker Bell, and Robin. He watched as others joined, Mulan, Esmeralda, her husband, the big gypsy they called Eladon and Cappi. He watched most of them walk to stand by Emma's body and knew that most of them had been close to the blonde. He let his eyes shift over to the mayor who stood alone.

"Is that everyone?" The old woman asked.

Killian glanced through the crowd, but he was sure that was everyone that he could think of other than himself. He scratched his head and sighed as he stepped out into the aisle, "Just me, I think Love." He didn't miss the eye roll the queen made in his direction which made him smile. He slowly walked up and stood beside Regina.

"Alright if everyone would grab their neighbor's hand then we can begin." The old woman said walking towards the center of the circle where Emma lay.

Regina raised an eye brow towards the pirate, "You should go and stand over there on Emma side." She pointed towards Emma's family."

But instead, he reached down and took Regina's hand in his, "I'm right where I need to be Love."

He didn't miss the surprised look the Queen shot in his direction, but she didn't resist his grip. He may have been in this mess because of Emma, but he was here for both of them now. He pulled the queen towards the sleeping blonde and allowed the mayor to take her son's hand.

He saw Henry's eye light up at the image of the pirate and queen holding hands and a huge grin spread across his face. Hook winked at the teen giving a small smile of his own.

He had finally come to realize one thing, if nothing else on this horrible journey. He had realized how much Regina had actually changed, and for once he truly felt that the queen deserved her happy ending. 

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ 

Esmeralda's mother, Luminitsa, and a couple of other elderly gypsy women sat in a circle on the floor next to the table Emma was laying on. They began chanting in some foreign language that David was unfamiliar with. He shifted from one foot to the other as he tightened his grip on the two hands he was holding. His wife was to his right and Ruby to his left. He felt anxious, but then magic always made him feel this way.

Zelena and Robin decided to move over to Regina's side. David thought that was nice of them until he almost choked out a laugh when Zelena reached down to take the pirate's other hand and touched his metal hook. Her expression was a cross between disgust and surprise. He tried to pretend he hadn't noticed, but the witch made eye contact with him and by the way she glared, he could tell she had seen his smile. There was a hard tug at his right hand and when he looked down his wife was giving him a similar look. Suddenly he felt like a small boy in church getting scolded by his parents, but this only made him want to laugh harder.

David made himself look away. He was pretty sure the old woman would not find his moment of immaturity amusing. He glanced around at the faces and his eyes met those of Regina's. She looked worried and scared. He wished at that moment that he could calm whatever she was feeling. He had known the queen for over thirty years and he had never seen her this way. Even all of those years she spent trying to kill them over Daniel, she had only shown anger, it was nothing like the sadness he had witness here. Either she lost her ability to hide her emotions, or this woman was really was his daughter's soul mate.

He saw the old woman nod in Regina's direction and she nodded back. He watched the mayor take a deep breath and then close her eyes. He hated not knowing what was going on and not being able to see or hear what the other woman had been experiencing was driving him crazy.

The other magical people, such as Gold, Maleficent, Zelena and Blue all closed their eyes as well. Magic was visibly coming off of them because he could see each of their specific colors illuminate from their hands. The only difference this time was that the magic was flowing out of their hands and through the next person they were connected to. David watched in bewilderment as each person began to glow as the magic passed through them and to the next.

Robin lit up with a slightly green glow and then the light turned more of a white as it made its way to Leroy on down until it reached the table where Emma was. On his other side, his grandson was lit up in a light purple hue. He wasn't sure what was happening, but he was starting to get leery as the white hue coursed through Ruby and out of her hand making its way up David's arm. He turned to look at his wife and could see a white light was shining through her and now making its way up his other arm.

The number two sheriff's first thought was to let go, but he resisted the urge. As the light moved up his arms and further into his body, he could feel warmth. He closed his eyes trying to bask in the loving feeling that was washing over him. Suddenly an image of his daughter came into view and he gasped opening his eyes.

As David looked around, every person in the group was looking around in shock the same as him. He swallowed and closed his eyes again. The image was growing closer as if he were walking towards her. Soft tanned arms reached out for her and he heard Regina's voice, "Emma?"

A tanned arm gently touched the blonde's face and for a second he was sure he could feel the warm flesh on his own finger tips. Suddenly he realized he was seeing through Regina's eyes.

"Regina, you came back." Emma said in a soft voice.

"Of course I did. I told you I would never leave you." The brunette said.

"How can I see you so clearly?" Emma asked reaching her own hand out to touch Regina's face.

David could feel cold fingertips on his cheek, as if his daughter were right in front of him touching his cheek.

"Everyone is helping me with the connection." Regina said. David could feel the desperate yearn to hold the younger woman and it was making it hard to breath. He could finally feel what she was feeling for his daughter and it was intense. He hadn't felt a feeling like that except when he met his wife.

"She really does love her." David accidentally said out loud.

"Dad?" Emma asked.

He could feel Regina's annoyance so he replied, "Sorry, I didn't realize you two would be able to hear me."

"Emma, you have to wake up." Regina said warmly.

The blonde looked panicked, "I don't know how. I've tried, but I can't find a way out."

"You can do it Emma, just follow mom." Henry called.

"Henry, why can't I see you?" Emma's voice cracked.

"They are seeing through me. Everyone is here and waiting for you, so please come with me." Regina pleaded.

Emma looked as though she was thinking about it, but she was apprehensive, "But Robin is there."

A brief moment of confusion passed through Regina, but she said, "Yes he is Emma, but…"

"I can't live like that." Emma whispered lowering her head.

"Live like what?" Regina asked.

Emma seemed to be getting further away and the magic felt weak, "Wait Emma. Regina loves you. She was going to tell Robin when we got here. She chose you." David said quickly for fear that his daughter would disappear.

He could feel an unknown emotion pass through Regina, but before she could speak Henry spoke, "It's true! She wanted to tell you everything, but crap kept happening."

"Emma, honey, you are Regina's soul mate. She would die for you." Snow called out.

"I don't want that." Emma started, "I just want…" The blonde's words died out and her image was beginning to disappear again.

"I love you. I'm in love with you, and I choose you. Not because Robin is with my sister, but because I love you and I want to be with you. I have never felt like this with anyone and I can't live without you. Please Emma." Regina cried out.

The desperation and sadness that coursed through Regina's body, now coursed through David's and he could feel warm tears on his cheek. He could only assume that everyone was feeling the same way.

"Come back to your queen Love, she needs you." Hooks voice called out.

For a moment the image was still blurry, but slowly it began to come back into focus. Emma was instantly in Regina's face searching her feature for reassurance, David guessed. He could feel Regina let out a breath he was sure she didn't know she was holding.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Emma said, sounding much more confident.

A light shined bright in his eyes and by the way everyone gasped he could only assume the same happened to them. He opened his eyes and realized the magic was gone. The crowd was looking around at one another, each letting their hands fell to their sides as they let go of their neighbor's.

David's eye moved over to Regina who was looking at the table where Emma was laying. He followed her gaze, but Emma still seemed to be asleep. The queen slowly made her way to the blonde and she reached down gently stroking her cheek, "Emma?"

An emptiness hung heavy in the air. It had to work, right? She was following Regina.

"Emma, please wake." The tears streamed down the brunette's face, but no one said a word, they just stared at the scene before them.

David couldn't take seeing Regina cry again. He took a step forward, but then stopped when he thought he saw the blonde's hand twitch. Regina must not have noticed, because she leaned over the younger woman, resting her head on the blonde's chest as she cried.

Emma's eyes slowly fluttered open and she seemed to look around to get a feeling of where she was. The crowded shouted out a cheer causing the queen to look up at them.

"Regina?" She said in a hoarse voice.

Regina's head shot in the blonde's direction, "Oh my God, Emma!" She cried out throwing her arms around the other woman's neck.

David hurried over to help his daughter sit up. This was a dangerous act for the fact that the very second Emma was upright; the queen threw herself into the younger woman. He only stepped back a hair and smiled.

He watched his daughter push the brunette back and look in her eyes. She placed both of her hands on either side of the other woman's face, "I love you too." She pulled the queen's lips to hers and kissed her.

Snow had made her way next to her husband and he put his arm around her, his grandson grinned from the opposite side of him. Most fathers would probably have been appalled to see their children somewhat make out in front of them, but not him. Not only was he happy that his daughter was all right, he also knew now how Regina felt for her and he couldn't be happier. 

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQ 

Emma couldn't shake the sleepy feeling she had. She couldn't understand how she had been asleep for so long, wake up and still be tired. She refused to go back to sleep. She was afraid she wouldn't wake up again and all she wanted was to keep the mayor by her side. They had yet to be alone, so they had not been able to have a proper discussion on everything Regina had been through while being held captive by Shaw. Everyone was so excited about Emma waking, well she thinks it was more for the magical ceremony they were all able to be part of.

Regina had seemed a little standoffish after everything. Emma could see that everyone looked at her differently. The blonde was sure it was because every person now knew the queen's inner most thoughts and feeling when it came to the sheriff. Maybe she too was just exhausted after everything they had been through thus far.

Dinner had been served in the dining hall and even though neither Regina nor Emma was hungry, everyone insisted that they sit and eat. The blonde only wanted the mayor to herself.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Henry's voice startled her. She had been so wrapped up in herself she had forgotten for a minute about their son who was seated next to her.

"Hey you. I'm glad you and your mom are okay. I was so worried." She said pulling him into her side and kissing his head.

"So what happened with Shaw?" He asked.

Emma turned back in her chair and looked down at her plate, "He's dead." She didn't regret killing the man for one second, but she didn't want Henry to know how much she had enjoyed watching him die.

"Sarah too." The teen said causing her to look up at him.

"Did you…" She let the question ride out and Henry picked up.

"No. Mom did." He said.

Emma took a deep breath and then released it. She was very glad that their son hadn't killed anyone. She wasn't sure what something like that could do to him. She looked over at Regina who was in a conversation with the blonde's parents. Even through her exhaustion, the queen managed to look radiant. She could she them spending the rest of their lives together. Well, as long as no other freakish incident took place.

"I hear you are pretty tough kid." Emma said looking back to the teen.

"I did all right, I guess." He smiled, but then it died on his lips, "I'm really sorry for coming here and making things worse." He looked down at his plate as he picked at his food with his fork.

She nudged him with her elbow, "You wanted to help. I get it and I would have done the same thing. Besides that, you had no way of knowing what would happen, so don't be sorry. We are all safe and together again, that's all that matters now?" She said smiling as she ruffled his hair.

Emma noticed Regina watching her from across the table. When their eyes met the blonde smiled. A smile did cross the brunette's face, but there was something more in her gaze. She couldn't wait any longer, she needed to find out what was going on inside the older woman's mind. She didn't want any more surprises.

The sheriff stood up from the table and walked over to Regina, "We need to talk."

A look of fear passed the mayor's face but she nodded her head and rose.

"Where are you going, you both have barely touched your meals." Snow said watching the other two women.

Emma looked down at her mother, "We will eat more later, right now we need a minute." She took Regina's hand and led her out of the dining room and into the hall where no one was around.

"What's the matter?" Regina asked nervously.

Emma turned towards her, "Nothing, I just wanted to be alone with you. We haven't had a minute to ourselves."

The queen raised an eyebrow, "Well you did just wake up from a deadly coma."

Without warning the blonde pulled the mayor into a tight hug, "I was going insane not being able to get you away from Shaw, and then, when he pushed you off of the cliff." Emma swallowed down the lump that had risen up into her throat.

Regina pulled away slightly and waited until green eyes met hers, "I thought you wouldn't want me after finding out what I did." She lowered her gaze.

At first the sheriff didn't know what she was talking about, but then it hit her. She remembered the feelings she got the first night she realized they shared a connection and the shame, and disgust Regina had felt. Her blood pressure rose with anger as she thought of him.

Emma reached up and gently lifted the brunette's chin with her fingers, "Is that what you've been worried about since I woke up?"

"That is the biggest issue, I think." Regina said.

"I would be lying if I said I like the thought of what you did." The blonde noticed the sudden sadness that fill the brown eyes in front of her, "However, I know you did what you felt you needed to do and I am more than glad that he didn't force you to do anything else, because I would have had to kill him sooner."

Regina let out a small chuckle, "You know I would never cheat on you, right? You and I were not together as a confirmed couple until a couple of hours ago."

This time Emma laughed, "I could feel you, you know?"

Regina tilted her head to the side, "Then why didn't you know how I felt about you?"

The blonde shrugged, "I guess because I felt the exact same way about you and I thought it was my own feelings." She leaned her forehead against the brunette's, "I love you, no matter what you have done in the past, rather it was thirty years ago, or yesterday, I love you and I want to be with you, if you'll have me."

Regina pulled back and smiled, "I love you, even when you do stupid stuff and almost get yourself kill." She pressed her lips to Emma's. After a very intense, yet slow kiss, she pulled away again, "Let's not do anything else that is stupid while we are here, okay?"

Emma laughed again and leaned in for another tender kiss.


	28. Chapter 28

**Readers: I want to apologize profusely for this being so late. Things have been crazy around here and this Texas weather is killing my soul. Anyways, I hope everyone is well and that things are going good for you all. Thank you to those who are still reading, and I hope you all still enjoy it. There is a small amount of sexy times in this one, I hope you like it. I'm not good at these scenes, but since a couple of people wanted another one, here it is. Thank you! You guys Rock!**

 **Chapter 28**

Regina and Emma had reentered the dining hall and taken their seats. The only difference this time was that they were much happier and much more at ease since their first departure from the room. There was a moment of awkwardness as they entered as all eyes were on them.

Regina had smiled and nodded her head towards the crowd as they did the same in return. Once she was seated she found it hard to keep her eyes off of the blonde who sat down the table from her position at the head. She couldn't believe how much better she felt with the weight lifted off her shoulders. She knew she should have had better faith in Emma, but her track record with partners was not the best, not to mention that everything good to come the queen's way always seemed to come at a price.

"You're going to have to keep an eye on her." Snow's voice said pulling her from her thoughts.

Regina turned to look at the short haired brunette and arched an eye brow, "What do you mean?" She didn't have to ask who she was speaking about.

"Emma wasn't herself today." Snow said vaguely.

The queen turned her body more to see the younger woman better, "There has been a lot happen in the last week that would make anyone act out of the norm."

Snow shook her head no, "She ran the blade of her sword through soldier's neck."

Regina stomach dropped for a moment, but she quickly recovered, "It was a war, unfortunately, things like that happen." She tuned back and took her chalice raising it to her lips.

Snow touched the older woman's arm, "I am well aware of what happens on the battlefield, but this was different. She could have put him to sleep or knocked him out using her magic. She used her magic to hold him in place and then impaled him with his own sword. He was not capable of fighting back."

Regina swallowed the wine she had been holding in her mouth and sat the silver cup back down. She would never want Emma to taint her heart with such things. Hell they had fought to keep darkness away from her. The only person she had killed was Cruella, but even that was an accident. She looked across the table to the blonde and could see her in deep conversation with Esmeralda.

"I haven't told her father what I witnessed. I didn't think it was something he needed to worry about right now. Emma disappearing has taken a toll on him that I can't be certain he will ever fully recover from." Snow added.

Regina looked at Snow and gave a small tight lipped smile, "I will talk to her."

"Thank you." Snow said placing her hand on Regina's arm.

There were many things the queen was going to have to get used to now that she and Emma were together, and one was Mary Margret and her touchy feeliness. The though almost made her laugh, however she was able to maintain her composure.

Emma had wanted to skip coming back to the dining room, but Regina said that they had to keep up appearances and not act like love sick teenagers. Regina looked across the table at Emma. Her face was lit up in a genuine smile and oh how the queen wanted to go and act like love sick teenagers.

She took another sip of her wine. Before she and the blonde enjoyed any other activities, she was going to have to talk to Emma about what had taken place on the battlefield. She knew what war could do to a person's mind, she had spent many nights waking up with night terrors and the sheet soaked from sweat. She hadn't anyone there to help comfort her in her time of need, but she had to let the blonde know she would be there for her.

A servant leaned down closer to her ear, "Your Majesty, Your bath is ready."

Regina raised an eye brow, "My bath?" She hadn't sent anyone to make a bath for her.

"Princess Emma told me to prepare one and then I was to let you know when it was finished." The servant said with a bow.

She definitely needed a bath, there was no argument there. She looked across the table to where the blonde had been sitting and noticed she was gone. Her eyes quickly scanned the room and still she didn't see the Sheriff.

She leaned over towards Snow, "I am really tired, could you please let everyone know I'm turning in for the night."

Snow smiled softly, "Of course. Sleep tight."

The queen left the dining room and almost bumped into a small group which had migrated into the hallway. Mulan was the closest, "What's going on?"

Mulan pointed towards Esmeralda who stood holding a small child tightly in her arms as she seemed to be crying, "Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip have arrived with Esmeralda's and Phoebus' child."

Regina smiled. She was so happy for the family being reunited. It only made her think of her own. She was thankful that everyone, for the most part seemed to come out unharmed.

"Isn't it great mom?" Henry asked from beside her.

She looked over at her son and smiled, "Yes it is."

"What are you doing out and about?" He asked.

"I was getting ready to turn in for the night." She said, but then asked, "Have you seen Emma?"

"Umm, yeah. A little while ago she said she was going to bed too, so I guess she is in her room." He said nonchalantly.

Regina tried to hide the disappointment that was now flooding her. She made an attempt to shake the selfishness, because she knew Emma was tired and needed her rest. She was just looking forward to sleeping in the blonde's arms again. She sighed and leaned down, kissing her son on the forehead before she bid him good night.

She had made it nearly to her room when she ran into Zelena. The redhead smiled slyly, "Where are you off too my dear sister?"

Regina could hear the ever present sarcasm in her tone, but she gave a fake smile in return, "I'm sure it's none of your concern dear."

Regina went to walk passed the other woman, only to be grabbed by the arm and made to halt. The queen looked at the hand on her arm and then slowly raised her eyes to her sister, "Do you mind?"

There was softness in her sister's gaze, "I told you she would be alright."

Regina gently but firmly pulled her arm from the other woman's grasp, "What do you want, some sort of prize?" The queen didn't really mean to be so harsh, but then again, this woman had put her and her family through hell more than once.

The redhead smiled again, but this time there was a hint of sadness in her eyes, "I am happy that she is."

Regina looked harder into the other woman's eyes to gauge her honesty and when she found no evidence of betrayal, she smiled gently, "Me too."

The older woman let her eyes fall to the ground only to glance briefly back at the queen, and she smiled, "Well, then, I guess I will go and find Robin."

Regina only nodded, but stayed in one position as her sister hurry passed. She slowly turned and watched the other woman leave. That was an odd conversation, she thought to herself. She shook her head and continued to her room.

Once she opened the door and stepped inside, she could smell the bath oils that the servant had placed in the tub. She had even placed the privacy screen up. The queen smiled to herself thinking of the time when Emma had seen her bare chested in this very room. She had been so embarrassed.

She used her magic to undress. Regina really didn't want to have and deal with another maid undressing her. As she walked around the screen her eyes landed on a very naked and wet Emma.

Emma looked up at her with a smile, "Did you miss me?"

Regina fought her own smile, "They told me you went to bed in your chambers."

The blonde continued to grin, "It was only half a lie."

The brunette raised a sculptured eye brow, "How do you figure?"

"I may not be in bed, but I am definitely in my chambers." Emma said lowering her voice a couple of octaves as she let her eyes slowly sweep over the mayor's naked body.

Regina couldn't help but smile at that. This woman had her wrapped around her finger, of course she wasn't about to let anyone know that. Before she could speak the blonde gestured for her to come closer with her finger as she said, "Join me."

Regina stepped up to the tub and then climbed in. She felt a little awkward at first. The mayor had never done anything like this with someone before. She sat facing Emma in the large copper bath.

The queen laid her head back closing her eyes and sighed as the hot water surrounded her shoulders and moved up her neck. She was very sore from the beatings she had taken and so needed a good soak.

The look on the blonde's face as she saw the bruises on the older woman did not go unnoticed. Regina knew she could heal them, well at least the visible marks, but she had been too tired and preoccupied with everything else to worry about it.

"Let me heal you." Emma said in a solemn tone.

The queen raised her head and opened her eyes to look at the other woman, "Don't even think about it. You've used enough magic for one day."

The queen watched the younger woman's reaction and she could see a small ping of hurt wash across her face. Regina smiled, "Now that we are together, I'm fine."

Emma looked as though she was in thought, but then she curled her lips pulling the older woman towards her and indicating she wanted her to turn. Regina turned around in the tub her back now pressed firmly against Emma's front.

They stayed silent for a few minutes after Emma had wrapped strong arms around the queen. Regina had wanted this more than anything. She wanted to feel safe and above all else, loved just like she did in this very moment. Her thoughts drifted to Mary Margret and what she had said about Emma's behavior.

Regina swallowed and asked, "You never did tell me how it went today at the construction site."

Emma leaned her head down, kissing the mayor's shoulder, "We won."

Regina closed her eyes and then slowly opened then, she didn't know how else to address this, "Snow told me about the solider."

She could feel the Sheriff stiffen behind her, "She is worrying about things she shouldn't."

The queens slowly turned so she could see the blonde's face, "Emma, we are only worried about you. I know firsthand what killing can do to someone."

The blonde had furrowed her brows, but then softened them, "I'm fine. There is nothing else to say." She reached up forcing the brunette to turn around again, "I'm fine." She repeated as she leaned down kissing the pulse point of the brunette's neck.

Regina wanted to argue with her and tell her that she needed to talk about this but then the sheriff hand came up cupping her breast as she sucked the tender flesh of her neck into her mouth letting her tongue dance wildly over the isolated flesh.

A small moan escaped the mayor's lips as she lead back into the other woman. Her brain had officially stopped working and now was only acknowledging the way Emma was making her feel. The blonde brought her left hand came up to cup her other breast, kneading them gently as she let her finger tips tease her hardening nipples.

"Emma." It came out quiet and small. She wasn't even sure why she said the other woman's name, but she knew she didn't want her to stop. Her flesh felt as though static electricity was running over her.

"Shhh." Emma whispered in her ear, "Let me take care of my queen."

Regina's head was fuzzy from her arousal. Had she not known what this woman was capable of doing to her, she would have sworn she had been drugged again.

The hand that was caressing the queen's right breast slowly started sliding downwards, while the other rubbed lazy circles around her nipple. The brunette moan rolling her hips slightly.

She could feel every inch Emma's hand made in its descent towards the direction of where she needed it most. Just as she was mere centimeters from its destination, the hand stopped. Regina let out a breath as she opened her eyes.

"Tell me what you want." Emma said; her breath hot in the mayor's ear.

A moan and slight whine escaped the brunette's mouth. The blonde's left hand stilled its administrations on her breast, but kept pressure on her nipple as she held it between her thumb and middle finger.

"That's not an answer." Emma said sucking the mayor's earlobe into her mouth and teasing it with her tongue.

Regina sighed in frustration, "Emma, please."

"Please what, your majesty?" The blonde purred.

The brunette bit her bottom lip. She wasn't sure what the other woman wanted her to say. Her head was very foggy while her body was overly sensitive, "Please Emma. I need you."

Regina grabbed the blonde's free hand under the water and moved it between her legs. The brunette and Emma both moaned out as the blonde's fingers met her arousal. She felt the sheriff smile against her neck.

Without further delay, the finger began slowly circling her swollen bundle of nerves causing her to rock her hip in rhythm. Most people would probably have trouble mixing such activities with water; however the queen had an unlimited amount of arousal, so it was no trouble at all for her.

Emma continued to kiss and suck on the soft skin of her neck as her hand sped up its pace a slight bit. Regina's moans became louder as the rocking of her hips was now causing the water in the tub to slosh back and forth.

"Gods, you are so beautiful." Emma whispered in the queen's ear.

Another moan escaped the brunette. She didn't know if it were the current state she was in or the fact that Emma's voice, low and sultry in her ear was the sexiest sound in the world. The queen could feel deep in her belly she was close.

Emma slid her hand further down pressing against Regina's very wet entrance and then slowly slid in. The queen bucked her hip more wildly as she rode the other woman's fingers. The water from the tub was now sloshing out and onto the floor.

With a final cry, Regina climaxed. She continued to ride it out as she came down. The queen had never had someone do that to her body with just their hand. It was amazing. She laid her head back against Emma's shoulder as she panted, "What are you doing to me?" A smile crossed her lips.

The sheriff kissed her shoulder gently and then replied, "Worshipping you."

Regina sat up slowly and turned around, the water sloshing gently, "I don't want you to worship me dear, I'm not a God."

Emma smirked, "You're a Goddess to me." She leaned forward stopping the queen's response with her lips. 

SQSQSQSQSQ 

Killian sat on the small cot with his back against the wall. The servants tried to convince him to sleep in one of the many bedchambers that were available, but he declined. He wasn't cut out for giant feather stuff mattresses. It was entirely too much bed for one man, and besides, he had spent nearly a century sleeping on the thin yet comforting bed of his ship. Sleeping here in the barracks was much more to his liking anyways.

He unscrewed the lid off his flask and took a swig. The pirate scrunched up his face as he swallowed the foul liquor. A little part of him had been happy to return here to the Enchanted Forest for the fact that he could get the best rum in all the realms. However, this particular castle refused to house the stuff due to the Queen's dislike of pirates. He shook his head to himself. What he wouldn't give for bottle.

"If the stuff is that bad, then why do you continue to drink it?" A woman's voice asked.

Hook looked up noticing Mulan on the cot next to him. He shrugged, "What else is there to do?"

The warrior held out her hand. Killian looked at it for a second, but then passed the flask to her. He watched as she sniffed and then made a similar face as the one he had made only moments ago, "Where did you get this?"

"One of the soldiers' had a bottle of the stuff and I needed a drink." He replied.

Mulan climbed off her cot, "There are much easier ways to kill yourself. That stuff cannot be good for you." She hit him on the shoulder with the back of her hand as she passed the metal container back, "Come, we shall find a proper drink.

Hook was a little hesitant, but then slid his feet to the floor and stood. Anything had to be better than the stuff he had in his flask. He didn't really know the woman, but as long as she was buying he would follow.

The barracks had two entrances. One was near the dungeon and led to the castle and the other led to the training yard of the castle. The door Mulan chose was the one that led them outside.

The grounds were quiet considering the amount of men who were patrolling. It was all still new to him, the being on the so called 'good' side, well now that he thought about it, this is the first time he has been on Regina's side too. It was somewhat like being on both sides at the same time. He did know the queen had changed, but just like everyone else, coming back here brought back old memories.

Hook followed the warrior to a wagon parked near a guard's tower.

"Captain." A soldier said as they walked up.

"Good evening Corporal. My companion and I are in need of beverage." Mulan said with a smile.

The man smiled back and hopped up into the wagon. He dug through some things, and slid a crate to the side. Taking what looked a lot like a crow bar, he pried the top of the wooden box open. Inside were several bottles with foreign writing on them. Picking up one, the man passed it down to Mulan.

"Baijiu." The warrior said with a smile.

Killian smiled, he had travel both far and wide and was familiar with baijiu. He knew it was liquor made from rice, and if memory served him correctly, it tasted close to what Emma's world called Vodka. It wasn't his beloved rum, but it was a close second.

He suddenly felt giddy as the warrior led them over to a fire a group of soldiers had made to keep warm. He took a seat on a barrel as the warrior sat on a makeshift stool. She pulled the cork out with her teeth. She took a drink and then passed the bottle to the pirate.

The drink was strong, but it went down much smoother than the gut rot he had been drinking. He let out a satisfying growl as it run down his throat, "That's what I'm talking about."

"That was a very noble thing you did." Mulan said staring into the flames.

Killian took another drink. He didn't want to talk about this anymore. He did his part just as he swore, now he just wanted to forget it, "Aye." He took another drink before passing the bottle back to her, "I don't feel very noble."

Mulan took a drink, "Seldom are there rewards for such things."

Hook looked at the woman and then back down at the fire. He had heard Emma talk about the warrior and her feeling for Princess Aurora, "I see you did well while the princess returned the gypsy child."

Mulan turned to him with surprise in her eyes, but it only lasted a short moment, "I have come to terms with Princess Aurora and her new family."

"I would ask if it gets any easier, but by that sentence alone, I know the answer." He said taking the bottle she passed back.

A laugh escaped the woman's throat which caused Killian to jump, as she said, "It is hard, but each time, it gets a little easier. Besides, after all of these years, I have met someone knew."

Hook took another sip and raised an eyebrow, "Oh yeah? Who?"

For a second, the pirate was sure the woman was going to ignore his question, but then she answered, "Ruby."

The answer caused Hook to laugh. He wasn't making fun of the warrior; he just thought the waitress was into guys. His eyes met those of the Asian beauties and he realized she was not amused with his laughter.

"I'm sorry, Love. I wasn't laughing at you or Ruby." He smiled but let his laughter die, and cleared his throat, "Ruby is a fine woman, and I wish you to all the best." He held the bottle out as if he were saluting and then took a long drink.

Mulan gave a tight lipped smile and then returned her gaze to the fire. The pirate could see something was wrong, "Why are you here drinking with me, when you should be with her?"

She reached out taking the bottle from Killian, "I needed time to think."

This response only perplexed a man of his stature, "What do you need to think about? You have a beautiful woman, yet you are here with me."

Mulan took another swig and then passed the bottle, "I don't know what she wants me to do. I don't know if she wants me to go to her realm or if she wants to stay in this one. She told me she would do whatever I wanted."

"I'm not seeing the problem Love." Hook said scratching his chin with his hook.

"I have never had to make a decision like that before. What if I choose for us to stay and she hates it or I choose to go but she really wanted to stay." She said now standing as she spoke with her hands.

Hook couldn't help the laugh that came, "Easy now. If this is the only thing that is troubling you, then you have it made, Love." The calm and always in control Captain was slowly becoming panicked.

"Why are you laughing? This is not a joke." Mulan said as she ran a shaky hand through her hair.

"Look, If you choose to stay here, Ruby will gladly stay with you. She was born here and deep down it will always be a part of her. If you choose to go to Story Brooke, she will go with you with the same enthusiasm; Ruby has made that a home as well. The important part is that the two of you are together." Hook said and then he took another swig.

Mulan's face lit up, "You're right. I must speak with her." She started to jog off, but paused, "Thank you Killian and feel free to have as much baijiu as you wish." And just like that she was gone.

Hook shook his head. Maybe he should consider changing his name to Captain Love Doctor. Being around all of these people was turning him soft. He rolled his eyes and took another swig from the bottle. It was going to be a long night. 

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQ 

Henry jolted awake. His heart was pounding and he was out of breath. His eyes darted around the dark room trying desperately to find something familiar. The slight moonlight that came through the bedroom window cast shadows on the wall.

The teen wiped a hand down his clammy face. Once he got his barrings he took a deep breath and then let it out. What the hell was that, he wondered. He hadn't had a nightmare since he was a little kid.

Henry hopped out of the bed and went to the window. He opened the latch and pushed the pain open to cool the room down. The fire that the servant made for him made the room feel like an oven.

A burst of cold air blew in taking his breath momentarily. Once he was able to take a breath he felt a bit better. His first instinct was too hid under his blanket until his fear went away, but it was too hot. His second thought was to run to his mother's bedroom and climb into bed with her.

Henry shook his head at his thoughts. He was not naive enough that he didn't know that Emma and his mother would most likely be sharing a room tonight. The last thing he would want to do is bug them with some irrational fear when he knew it was only a dream.

The dream, or at least the part he could remember, kept replaying in his mind. Of all the things he had witnessed it was his mother he kept seeing. He kept seeing Shaw hit her again and again, and then he could hear her screams, just as Sarah had described to him.

The teen swallowed the bile that was threatening to show itself. His need to see his mother was growing. The more he played the dream over the more he wanted to check on her. He rubbed his face again and sighed. He didn't want to disturb his mothers, but he needed to see them. 

SQSQSQSQSQ 

Emma gasped as her eyes sprung open. Her chest heaved as she rubbed her eyes.

"Emma? Are you okay?" Regina asked sitting up.

The blonde sat up as well and let out a breath, "Yeah, just a nightmare."

The linen shirt Emma was wearing to sleep in was damp from sweat. The sheriff was completely content with sleeping beside the mayor naked, but she had made a valid point. Regina told her that with all of the servants who moved around the castle and who would come into stoke the fire or fetch things, that it may not be in their best interest to distract them.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Regina asked grabbing the blonde's hand.

She chuckled, "Not really, but I am sure this is the part where you tell me I will feel better if I do."

Regina smiled bringing their joined hands to her mouth as she kissed the back of Emma's, "Well they do say that you will feel better, but the truth is that it is merely to help the person who asked to feel better. However, I would never make you do something you didn't wish to do dear."

"I didn't dream of the guard, if that's what you are thinking. I know I should feel guilt or remorseful for it, but I don't, not now anyways." The blonde ran her free hand through her hair, "I just keep seeing what that creep did to you. The worst part, I think, is I can still feel how you felt."

Emma turned to look at the mayor. She could see the tears welling up in the mocha colored orbs and she gasped, "Hey, shhh." Emma pulled the other woman into her arms, "Hey It's okay, it's not your fault, it's mine, remember?"

Regina chuckled at that and wiped a tear, "I'm not blaming anyone for this. Shaw chose to do what he did, but I don't want to see you suffer because of it."

Emma pulled the older woman back slightly and kissed her forehead, "It's my own demons I'm dealing with, I work through it." She gave a small smile.

A light knock on the door pulled them from their thoughts. Regina adjusted her gown as she called out, "Yes."

The door open and Henry stepped inside. With one look at the teen, both mothers' knew something was wrong causing them to jump out of the bed and rush over to him.

"Henry? What's wrong?" Regina said as she stood in front of him looking him over.

The teen grabbed his adoptive mother's arm lightly, "I'm fine. I just needed to come and check on you."

Emma tilted her head slightly as her eyes went from the boy to the queen. Realization hit her, "You had a nightmare?" It came out as a question, but she meant for it to be more of a statement.

Henry hesitated before he answered, "I'm sorry I bothered you, I just needed to see you."

Regina grabbed the boys head pulling him close to her as she kissed his head, "Honey, you could never bother us."

Emma smiled, her year in New York with memories that the mayor had given her made her a bit more maternal. She walked back to the bed climbed in and raised the covers, "Come on, everybody in."

Both Regina and their son's face lit up. They both climbed in, Henry in the middle. After everyone got settled in, Emma asked, "What happened in your dream?"

Henry remained quiet for longer than the blonde thought so she looked over at him. He seemed to be in thought and a little embarrassed, "It was stupid."

"Was it all the bad things you saw today?" Regina asked softly.

"Not really. I mean it sort of was, but not what I saw on the battle field, but what I saw Shaw do to you, and..." Henry stopped as Emma watched him close his eyes.

She smiled and put her arm around his shoulder for comfort, "And what?"

"I could hear mom scream, just like Sarah had said." He said glancing over at Regina.

Emma looked at the other woman, "What did Sarah say?"

Regina looked horrified, "It was nothing. The girl was trying to upset us."

Emma looked down at their son, who now had tears in his eye, "What did she say?"

He looked at his birth mother, "She said that I would be able to hear my mother's screams through these walls as Shaw had his way with her."

Emma clenched her jaw, if that bitch was not already dead, she would kill her herself. How in the hell could someone ever tell a child that? She rubbed a hand down her face as she took a deep breath. A small sob came from her son and instantly her features softened, "Hey it was only a dream. Neither she nor her father can ever hurt your mother or you again." She pulled her son into a full hug as her eyes meet those of the queen. With one hand she reached up and wiped the tear away and then she pulled the other woman into a group hug.

"I just want to go home." Henry said into the crook of the blonde's neck.

"I know kid, us too." She said as she kissed the side of his head and then kissed the cheek of the brunette, "First thing tomorrow morning, we will get things in order to go home."


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Hook scratched his head and yawned. He winced in pain as he felt the throbbing head ache from the hangover he knew he would have. He wanted to laugh at himself, but his head hurt too much. He slowly sat up, hoping the throb would ease, but to no avail.

He felt the bed shift beside him. He quickly looked over his shoulder to the form that was lying next to him. His eyes widened causing another sharp pain to rush through his skull. He couldn't make out who it was. The sheet they were under, covered the person's head. _Sheet?_ He looked around the room and realized he was in one of the chambers and not in the barracks.

Hook tried to recall everything that had happened last night. He remembered talking with Mulan and then drinking by the fire alone. As he recalls, he drank a lot. He knows he went through at least three bottles of the warrior's baijiu. He couldn't think of anyone who could be next to him.

His eyes widened again. He hoped there was not some hairy soldier lying there. He'd been pretty adventurous in all his travels, but that one wasn't for him. The bed moved again, but this time he refused to look down. It was one of those moments where he was swearing an oath to whatever higher power was listening. If they would just let it be some beautiful woman beside him, he would stop his wild ways.

"Oh for the love of God man, nothing happened, so you can stop freaking out." Hook whipped his head around to see a very sleepy Tinker Bell.

He tried to hide his surprise and relief all at once, "If we didn't do anything, then where are my clothes, Love?"

The short haired blonde rubbed her eyes as she climbed from the bed, "As you can see, I am fully clothed." She gestured with her hand. "As for your clothes, that's a good question."

Hook pulled the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around his waist before he stood. His eyes danced around the room in hopes he could find at least his pants. A small smile crossed his lips when he saw them hanging from the door knob.

He made his way over and snatched them up, "So what did happen last night?"

"Well lets see, I awoke to a noise outside in the hallway. Went out to see what it was and found you, drunk singing some song, out of tune I might add." The small framed woman crossed her arms over her chest. "Then when I asked you politely to keep it down, you insisted that you and I make love. You pushed passed me and entered my room. I tried to get you to leave instead you decided to shed your clothing to prove to me that you were irresistible. I would have called for the guards, but no more did you sling your pants across the room, you passed out."

Killian had a slight smirk on his face. That sounded like him alright he thought as he laced up the fly on his pants, "That's a pity."

The blonde raised an eye brow, "What's a pity?"

Killian smiled, "That you didn't get a chance to see how irresistible I am."

"I saw enough, thank you." The blonde said letting her eyes glance quickly towards his crotch. Before Hook could come up with something wittier, his linen shirt hit him in the face, "Your boots are by the door."

He pulled the shirt away from his face to gauge the ex- fairy's expression. When he could tell there were no real signs of danger, he swallowed, "So, um, would you like to have a drink sometime?"

The blonde tilted her head, "Are you serious right now?"

Hook kept his smile, but ran a hand nervously up the back of his neck, "Well, yeah, I mean if you want to."

"How do you keep the women at bay with charms like that?" Tinker Bell asked sarcastically.

The pirate's mouth fell at that. He wondered if he had always been a walking joke with the ladies. It was a hell of a time in his life to just realize it. He sighed as he slipped his shirt over his head and walked over to the door and picked up his boots. He stuck his feet in, first one and then the other. He turned towards the woman, "I want to apologize for my behavior last night. I am thankful for your hospitality." His eyes didn't meet hers. He looked at the floor and then turned towards the door and grabbed the knob.

"I'd love to have that drink with you, except" She paused and the pirate turned to look at her. "I'm not going back to Story Brooke. I'm going to stay here."

The pirate looked at the woman for a moment and then smiled, "I know this little tavern by the port that is quiet lovely."

The blonde looked confused for a second, "Well if you ever get back this way, maybe we could go sometime."

Killian scratched his chin with his hook, "I was thinking that maybe we could go tomorrow evening."

The blonde tilted her head again, "Are you not going back to Story Brooke?"

The pirate took a deep breath, "There was really only one reason I stayed in Story Brooke. Now that reason is gone, so no, I'm not going back."

An uncontrolled smiled crossed the blonde's face, "Tomorrow evening then?"

Killian grinned, "Aye." He turned and walked out of the room. Maybe the fates weren't such bitches after all.

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

The castle was coming to life very quickly as Regina walked down the hallway. Servants, guards, and guest were moving about. Everyone with their own agenda and each pausing a moment to bow their head as she passed.

Emma and Henry were still asleep. She hated having to leave the nice warm bed with the two people she cared the most about in it. She wanted to help the Sheriff keep her promise to their son and she knew they were exhausted.

She stopped two of the servants passing, "Excuse me?"

"Your Majesty?" One of the men asked as the other knelt.

"Oh don't do that," Regina said pulling the man up by his arm. "I would like you two to send word to all the guests that I request an audience in the dining hall."

With a nod and a bow, the two men went in a separate direction to do as they were asked. Regina shook her head slightly. She felt ridiculous having them treat her with such respect. She wasn't used to having people's respect. In the past, most had bowed down to her out of fear.

Regina made her way to the dining hall. She wasn't particularly hungry, but most everyone else would be, so it only made sense to meet there. She and Emma had eaten in the wee hours of the morning after their countless rounds of love making. That was well before their son had come to their chambers. She couldn't help the smile that crept up on her face at the thoughts of the previous night. She and the Sheriff's activities were a piece of the reason, but it was more of how she felt cuddled with her family. _Family?_ That word never had much meaning to her. Of course, Henry, has always been her family, but she had never said the words when referring to her and her son. Now there were three of them and she could so see them as a family. Then there were the Charmings. She rolled her eyes. Who would have guessed in a million years it would be Snow White and Prince Charming as her in-laws.

"Someone looks awfully chipper this morning." Hook's voice pulled the Queen from her thoughts.

She sat down at the head of the long table. She noticed how the pirate grinned as he sliced into an apple with a small knife. His eyes were lit up, which was unusual considering every time the man looked at her all she could see was sadness. "Isn't it a bit early for someone who enjoys your leisure activities," she asked?

Hook swallowed the food, "What can I say? I slept well last night."

Regina tilted her head. He seemed much happier than he had been, "What did you do last night?"

She could have sworn she saw a blush creep up the pirate's cheeks, "Oh. Forget I asked." She said assuming he had gotten lucky with some wench.

He laughed, almost nervously, but then cleared his throat, "No, it wasn't like that."

As much as the Queen didn't wish to know about the man's sex life, she was intrigued about his new demeanor. "So you met someone, I take it?"

Hook smiled, "Something like that."

Before she could make further inquiries, people began filling the room. Most were gypsies, but a few of her Story Brooke residents passed. Suddenly, it was as if someone had opened the gates. Every person, she was pretty sure, had piled into the room and all looked expectantly at Regina. Hook took a double take at all the people and then glanced back at the queen.

Regina took a deep breath as she scanned the room to ensure that everyone was present. Emma and Henry followed in behind the Charming's and made their way over to her. She watched as the last person entered. It was Tinker Bell who gave a shy and apologetic smile to the Queen. Regina didn't miss the look that passed between the pirate and the ex-fairy.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Eladon pushed through the crowd. He pulled a chair out for Florica to sit. The Queen had planned some elaborate speech in her head. Now, with everyone's full attention and a silent room, she forgot what she wanted to say.

Emma placed a reassuring hand on her lower back. Regina smiled softly before looking over the crowd.

"I just had a few things I wanted to say to everyone before we prepared to depart today." Regina was stunned by the number of gasps that swept through the room. She knew it came from the guards and gypsies, but she honestly thought they would cheer to know she was leaving.

"But your Majesty, you've just returned." A voice called out from the crowd.

Regina licked her lips nervously, "Yes, I'm aware. However, I have called Story Brooke home for the last thirty years, as have many others in this room."

"But what about us, your Majesty?" A guard asked.

"What about the kingdom? Things can't go back to the way they were." A woman shrieked.

Voices from the crowd began to grow louder as they talked over one another.

"People please," Regina said. "The kingdom will not go back to how things were, I assure you." She said holding her hands up.

"If there is no one to rule the throne in your absence, this kingdom will fall again," another voice called out.

"I do not intend to leave the throne vacant." She said.

Gasps filled the room and a gypsy man yelled out, "Who could possibly be worthy enough to rule in your stead?"

The crowd grew silent again as they waited in anticipation for her response.

She glanced down the long table at the old woman, "Florica."

More gasps waved through the large crowd. A guard shouted out, "No offense, but she is very old. How long could she possibly last as our Queen?"

This caused laughter to erupt from the gypsies. Even Regina was a little puzzled at this. She did have her own concerns about the old woman's age, but she was the most suited for the job.

Florica kept her eyes glued to Regina's, "I am almost two hundred years old. I do not plan to die anytime soon, but I have always believed in preparing for the inevitable."

Regina tilted her head, "So, does that mean you'll accept the position?"

The old woman glanced around the room. Her people were more than happy to have her as the Queen. The current Queen worried about the guards and other non-gypsies. Regina looked at the guards' faces and could see their doubts.

"Listen to me," Regina said as she made sure to address all the non-gypsies with her eyes. "I know I was a cruel Queen. You all have every right to hate me for the things I have done to you and your families. But Florica is the complete opposite of who I was, and who Shaw was. She will rule in fairness and mercy. I am the reason her daughter is dead, yet she has shown me nothing but kindness, love and understanding. She was the first person here to treat me as Regina, instead of the Evil Queen. She is exactly what this place needs. I failed you all miserably, but she will never let you down." A tear slipped from the Queen's eye but she refused to make a spectacle of wiping it away.

The sound of metal hitting stones rang out around the room as each guard dropped to their knee. One of the ranking soldier's spoke, "Forgive us My Queen, for we failed you."

Regina raised an eyebrow, "How do you think you have failed me?"

"We abandoned our oath to you and followed Shaw blindly. He was a far worse ruler than you, my Queen. We failed to protect you and your son, and we failed to obey." The man paused to clear his throat, "You told us all we could leave to return to our families yesterday. As you can see we did not. Shaw killed all our families and blamed the gypsies. We hated them and wanted them dead. We were guided by hatred." The soldier raised his head to look at Regina. "I found a dossier in the war room that had in detail the attacks Shaw led on our families. They murdered our wives and children, well, those of us who had wives and children. The paper said that he did this to ensure our loyalties lay with him."

Regina eyes widened, not even she would do something so heinous. Gasped washed over the crowd and more tears filled the Mayor's eyes, "Oh my God." She swallowed the lump that had now formed in her throat, "I don't know what to say. II am so very sorry." The last part broke slightly as she fought to keep a sob at bay. "I would never have done that"

The soldier held up his hand, "We know that now, your Majesty. Most of the men left in this army are loyal to you, including me. We lost nearly a hundred men after the news about our families. Those men took their own lives." He cleared his throat again and then went on, " I wish for permission to speak to the men that are in the dungeons. They have a right to know that they were fooled and that the gypsy people are indeed innocent."

Regina wiped her cheek, "Of course, please do."

The guards all stood at once. The sound of the metal clanking in unison was impressive. It still brought goosebumps up the Mayor's arms, "You may leave now. Those men have suffered enough at the hands of evil rulers."

The man bowed his head and started for the door, pausing as the queen spoke. "You are no longer held to your oaths. Betrayal of the worst kind was bestowed upon you and you deserve the right to choose."

All the soldiers turned to look at the Queen. She let her eyes glide from face to face as she spoke, "I can't bring your families back to you and for that, I am most sorry. All I can offer is money to secure the future of children and families you may have. I release you all from your duties. As of this moment, you are no longer soldiers in her Majesty's army. You are all your own men."

Confusion crossed her features when all the men's faces seemed disappointed. The soldier near the door looked around the room at his fellow men, "We do not wish that your Majesty. We have literally given our lives to serve and protect the ruler of the throne. We have nothing to go home to. We will all pledge an oath to whoever sits in it if this is your wish."

All the soldier's slammed an arm crossed their chest as they stomped a foot in unison.

Florica stood from her place at the table, "Before you pledge an oath to me, let me, pledge an oath to you. I Will never be the Queen that Regina has become. She has grown much in the last thirty years that she is nearly unrecognizable. She has proven to me and my people of how much she has changed. I would be honored to sit in her place while she is away, however, I will not take on the title of Queen. That title is only for Queen Regina. I am Florica." The old woman walked through the crowd making her way to the soldier near the door. "Your loyalty should not be expected from me, but instead I would like to earn it. I pledge my loyalty to you and your men, as well as all of the Enchanted Forest which I will serve and protect. As Regina said, there is no way to give you all back what Shaw took from you. But I can promise you that will never happen again. I want our people to unite and live in harmony, as well as freedom. It will take much time to get this kingdom in order, but together we can build the place we have all dreamed of."

Regina was a little speechless. The old gypsy woman spoke like a true Queen. She watched as the guard near the door looked at the old woman for a moment, he turned and looked at his fellow soldiers. Slowly he fell to his knee, and his men followed, "We in return, give our loyalty to our kingdom and its people. We will always be soldiers in her Majesty's army. We pledge to serve and protect all citizens of the Enchanted Forest. We will pledge our loyalty to our Elder as we keep trust in her word." The soldier glanced up to Regina, "You will forever have our loyalty, my Queen."

The room broke out in applause and cheers from the gypsies and the servants. She had never seen such blind loyalty in her life. Florica was indeed the perfect choice to rule in her stead.

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

Emma paced back and forth in the court yard. She had been antsy about leaving all morning. She had a small confidence boost after witnessing the crown passing. She knew how their luck sometimes liked to go.

Many of the Story Brooke residents had went with Gold back through portal. They figured it would be faster and safer if they used magic to travel back to the portal. Gold did mumble something about not wanting to travel with the blonde again. Regina had asked what he had meant, but Emma pretended she had no idea.

Esmeralda stood talking quietly with Emma when Regina walked up. Emma could see something in her eye. But couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

The long dark haired gypsy smiled, "I will miss you, friend."

Emma smiled, "Why don't you come with us?"

Esmeralda looked at her husband and then back to the blonde, "Your world is not for us." She smiled again, "Besides, this is my mother's home and we plan to stay with her now that my father is gone."

Emma nodded. She completely understood, "I'm going to miss you too."

The gypsy leaned in and gave the blonde a tight hug and then released her. She held out her hand to shake Phoebus' hand but he was quick to pull her into an embrace.

The blonde watched as Esmeralda stood in front of Regina. The Mayor smiled, "Well, now you will be rid of me. That should bring you some comfort."

Esmeralda looked at the Mayor with amusement, "Believe it or not, it brings me no such comfort to see my Queen leave."

Regina looked a surprised but tried to recover quickly, "Yeah, well, I will miss you too dear."

The long dark haired woman grinned, "I'm sure we will see one another again. I look forward to it."

The Queen smiled and nodded as she agreed. Emma could tell she wasn't sure what to say and was glad that no one pushed. Mulan and Ruby walked up hand in hand.

Emma grinned up at the warrior. She was happy for the stoned face woman. It was crazy looking at her now. She actually wore a smile and there was a slight glow.

"We came to see you off," Mulan said.

Emma narrowed her eyes, "See us off?" She looked at Mulan and then Ruby who refused to look her in the eye.

"We're staying here. Mulan is not cut out for Story Brooke, and to be honest, I miss it here." Ruby said.

Emma and Regina exchanged looks. She wasn't sure how her mother would react to her best friend staying behind, "We'll miss you both."

Ruby gave the Queen an awkward hug and then hugged the blonde.

Mulan smiled at Emma and then stepped forward, "I told you the ancestors would work this out." She gestured between Regina and Emma.

The blonde grinned, "Yes you did. And I see that they have blessed you as well."

"Let's not judge too quickly. She has no idea what she is getting herself into." The wolf said with a devilish smirk.

The group laughed as they watched the warrior blush. Emma pulled her into a hug. The woman was stiff beneath her, but she didn't care.

"It was an honor to fight beside you, Emma Swan," Mulan said as they stepped away from each other.

Emma smiled, "It always is."

Hook was standing off to the side which caught the blonde's attention. She slowly walked away from the small group she was with to go over to him, "Hey? Everything okay?"

He had a strange glint in his eye, but he managed a smile, "Of course, Love."

Emma could tell there was more. But she knew that when it came to emotion sharing, the villains in her life were not the most open. "We're going to leave as soon as my parents get here."

She started to walk back to the group when he replied, "Not me Love."

Emma turned back to look at him, "What do you mean?"

He scratched his chin and took a deep breath, "I need a change of scenery for a while."

"Look, if it's about Regina and me, I'm sorry. I don't want you to feel like you" Killian cut her off.

"It's not that Swan. I mean, I did only stay there for you, and I did plan to go back after all this was over." Killian said.

"What changed?" She asked.

"I met.." His words were cut short when the short haired blonde bounced out from around a corner.

"You ready for this date?" She asked without looking up.

Emma's eyebrows rose. _Tinker Bell and Hook?_ She repeated the pairs name over and over in her head. She was more than glad that the pirate had found a new love interest, she was just surprised at who it was. She was pretty sure that when they were in Neverland, Tinker Bell was clear about her dislike of the pirate.

Hook smiled lightly, "Tink's staying too."

Emma nodded with a small smile of her own, "Well, I wish you both the best of luck."

Tink looked nervous, but her mouth curled upwards.

"I'm happy for you both and I hope it works out. I do think you both deserve happiness." Emma said.

Tinker Bell gave the long haired blonde a hug. Once she was released, Emma looked up at Killian. She may not have been in love with him, but she did feel as though they were friends. She hesitantly reached up to hug him and he returned it. She whispered in his ear, "Thank you for everything." She didn't want to patronize the man. She meant every word and she hoped he knew it too.

The blonde turned to Tinker Bell, "You take care of him."

"I will." The ex-fairy said with a smile.


	30. Chapter 30

Regina stood next to the gate outside the diner. Everything she had ever dreamed of was inside those four walls. She licked her lips as she watched the shadows of the townspeople walk past the windows.

Every fear she'd ever had didn't compare to what she was feeling now. Her heart kept telling her she had nothing to be afraid of, but her mind screamed a different story. Everything she'd ever loved either proved to be a weakness or was taken from her at some point. She thought back to her time with Robin. Knowing now that he had been in love with her sister the whole time was nerve racking. If Emma hadn't kissed her and turned her world upside down, she wouldn't have known _. How long would he have led her on?_

She shook her thoughts. It didn't matter anymore. None of it mattered. She knew without a doubt that Emma loved her. Of course, the whole town and half of the Enchanted Forest knew how she feels about the other woman. _Then why was she so afraid?_

"Mom?" Henry's called from the doorway.

She smiled at him as he stepped outside and closed the door, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Just trying to get my bearings before I go in," She said.

He took a step closer and looked hard at her face, "It's going to be okay, you know that right?"

Her lips curled upwards, but she couldn't feel it, "Yes, of course."

"Ma's looking for you. She was worried that you wouldn't come." He laughed, "She thought you might have changed your mind."

Regina frowned. She never wanted Emma to feel she wasn't wanted. Not after everything they had been through. She did love the Sheriff more than she could ever express, "I'm coming in, I just need a minute, okay."

The teen studied his mother for another moment, then nodded, "Okay."

He turned to go back inside when she stopped him, "This is what you want too, right?"

Henry glanced back at the diner door then turned back to his adoptive mother, "This isn't about what I want, mom. This is about what you want."

She acted as if she didn't hear him, "Is this what you want?"

"Mom?" He walked up to her, "I want you and ma to be happy, and I know you make each other happy. So yes, this is what I want."

She swallowed the lump in her throat and managed a genuine smile, "Okay." She let out a big breath of air, "Let's go in."

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

Emma took a swig from her beer bottle. She really wanted something stronger, but she didn't want to get shit faced. _Regina would show, right?_ She didn't understand why she was so afraid of the brunette changing her mind. She hadn't seen the older woman since she dropped her off at 108 Mifflin Street.

The town's people laughed and talked all around her. It felt more like being in a bar than a get-together. Everyone seemed to talk at once. Their voices drowning one another out only to come out as noise.

She took another sip from the bottle then sat it on the bar. She couldn't take this. Maybe she should go for a walk or Hell maybe she should just go home. As she started to pull some money from her pocket, the front door opened and in came Henry and Regina.

Emma watched the brunette scan the room. When they locked eyes, Regina smiled, but it was hesitant. Instead of the older woman walking in her direction, she went towards the blonde's parents. She picked her unfinished beer up and took another drink.

Henry came up beside her, "I told you she'd come."

Emma watched Regina but spoke to their son, "Is everything okay?"

Henry shrugged, "Yeah. It is now."

Before she could ask him to elaborate, he disappeared into the crowd. He reappeared next to his grandparents. A loud squeal shot through the crowd. By the way, they were all looking at Mary Margret, it had come from her mother. Her father was grinning from ear to ear. David leaned down and whispered something in Henry's ear. A moment later, the teen was running out of the diner like his hair was on fire.

Emma wondered if she should go over and see what was going on. As if she could read minds, Regina was making her way through the crowd, heading in the blonde's direction. The Sheriff took another swig from her bottle. She watched each resident the brunette passed stopped to shake her hand or hug her.

Finally, Regina was standing in front of her, "Hey."

Emma smiled, "Hey."

"CAN I HAVE EVERYONE"S ATTENTION," She heard her mother yell from the other side of the bar? When all the voices died down, she continued, "Regina has something she would like to say."

Emma, like the other residents, looked at the Mayor expectantly. "Well, I." She stopped, seeming nervous. She cleared her throat, "When we first got back today, I thought everything would change." She glanced quickly at Emma, then back out over the crowd. "I thought that as soon as we got here, everyone would start looking at me differently. And you all did." She laughed, "But it was in a good way." She slowly turned to Emma, "Emma, I know that I haven't always been the kindest person to you or most understanding. And I can't promise that I always will be, but I will promise that I'll try. I don't want another day to go by where we are left wondering what could have been."

The blonde tilted her head, "I'm not following?"

Regina licked her lips and knelt down on one knee, "Emma Swan will you marry me?"

Emma's eyes were wide. _Was she dreaming this?_ _Was Regina Mill's kneeling before her?_ So much has happened in the last few weeks, but she would never imagine the Mayor proposing to her. More time must have passed than it seemed. Worry was filling the feature of the gorgeous woman at her feet.

"Really," She asked awestruck.

Regina nodded, never taking her eyes from the green ones above her, "Yes. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Emma's eyes welled up, but she smiled, "Yes. Yes, I'll marry you." She pulled the Queen to her feet and wrapped her arms around her as the crowd went wild.

Henry appeared next to them. His teeth gleamed under the fluorescent lighting of the diner, "So, when is the wedding?"

Emma and Regina exchanged glances, "Well,"

"How about now," Henry said cutting them off.

"It's not that simple, Henry," Emma said.

"It takes time to plan a wedding," Regina explained.

Emma's mind was racing. She thought of all the things involved with planning a wedding and her palms started to sweat. She was excited, but also terrified. She'd never been married, which was probably a good thing. Regina, on the other hand, had been married before. She had a wedding fit for a Queen. Emma could never compete with that.

She was pulled from her thoughts, "This is Mrs. Pippin. She works for the clerk's office." He pointed to the woman he had brought in with him. "She said you can get your marriage license and get married on the same day." He was grinning again.

Emma and Regina looked at each other. "What about tomorrow," Regina asked.

Before the blonde could agree, Archie asked, "Why not now?"

Mrs. Pippin held out a piece of paper and Emma took it. It was a marriage license with both her and Regina's names on it. "All we need is someone to officiate," the clerk said.

"I gotcha covered," Granny pipped up from behind the counter. "I was ordained online a while back."

All eyes were on the couple. Emma swallowed when her eyes met Regina's. She wondered what Regina would want. _Would she want another extravagant wedding, or would this be enough? Or would she think this was too fast?_

"Alright," The brunette said looking back at Emma. "If you're okay with it, so am I." She chuckled nervously, "Unless you think you would change your mind tomorrow."

Emma leaned in kissing the other woman. When she pulled back she wore a wide smile, "I won't change my mind."

"Well, then it's settled," Granny said. "Do you two need a moment or shall I begin?"

"They'll need just a minute Granny," Gold's voice called from the door. The crowd parted as he walked towards them. "You might need these," he passed two gold wedding bands to Emma.

Emma hadn't thought much about marriage, let alone on her own wedding day. As she stood here now, holding the two golden bands, she wondered if Regina would want more. She had always seen women go crazy over expensive engagement rings and wedding bands. It didn't make a difference to Emma, but she wasn't sure about the Mayor. She could always save up and get her a better one.

"Thank you," Emma said to Gold.

He nodded moving back to stand by his wife. He had been a huge asset with the war against Shaw. She knew he did it mainly for Belle, but it wasn't the only reason. Deep down, somewhere inside his black heart had to be a small piece of humanity.

"This is the first wedding I've done, so bear with me folks," Granny announced. She looked at Emma, and then into the crowd, "Who gives this woman?"

"I do," David stepped forward and kissed Emma's forehead.

Granny turned to Regina, "Who gives this woman?"

A moment of silence passed and Henry stepped up beside his adoptive mother, "I do." He leaned in kissing his mother on the cheek.

Soft laughter rolled through the crowd but stopped quickly.

"I'm not the religious sort, nor do I plan to stand up here all night yapping my jaws, so here we go. The rings." When Emma passed one of the gold bands to Regina, Granny said, "Emma, do you take this woman to be your wife? To love and cherish in good times and in bad, for as long as you both shall live?"

The blonde looked into the chocolate orbs that stared back at her, "I do, with all my heart." The blonde slipped the band over Regina's finger.

A tear slipped down the brunette's cheek as Granny turned to her, "Regina, do you take this woman as your wife? To love and cherish in good times and bad, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do. Forever," Regina said wiping the tear away and sliding the ring onto the blonde's finger.

"By the power invested in me, by the state of Maine and our lovely town of Storybrooke, I pronounce you both wife and wife. You may kiss the bride," Granny finished.

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

Regina chewed lightly on her bottom lips as she stared out the window of the yellow bug. She was waiting for someone to tell her it was a dream and that none of it was real. She hoped Emma didn't think this was too fast and have regrets in the morning.

Her car door opened, and she was greeted by a smiling Sheriff. "Mrs.," She paused, "I think the license said you were taking my name."

Regina raised an eyebrow, "Oh, did it now?"

Emma's smile faltered, "Is that okay, I mean I'm sure we can change it."

The brunette laughed at her new wife's uncertainty, "I married you Miss Swan, not your name."

"That's Mrs. Swan," Emma corrected with a grin as she offered the older woman her hand.

Regina climbed out of the car and they headed for the mansion. She remembered being more than nervous on her wedding day to Leopold. But it was different. She didn't love Leopold, nor did he love her. She was young and naive when they married, and knew nothing of what a wife did. This wasn't just about the consummation, but about the whole picture. Now, she was given the chance to be a wife to the person she was in love with. The person she was meant to be with.

As they reached the door, Emma asked, "Should I carry you over the threshold or something?"

Regina couldn't stop the laugh, "No. Perhaps we should start our own tradition."

Emma raised an eyebrow, "And what would that be?"

She stepped closer to her wife and wrapped her arms around her, "Why with magic, of course." The two disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. They reappeared seconds later inside the entryway.

Emma grabbed her arm unsteadily, "I'm not sure I'll ever get used to that."

Regina chuckled, "You will in time. Why don't you get us a bottle of wine and meet me upstairs?"

"Sure," The blonde said, heading in the direction of the kitchen.

Regina disappeared again. This time when she reappeared she was standing in her bedroom. She stopped for a minute. _'Their bedroom.'_ Robin had stayed nights with her in this bed, but he didn't live here. Not yet. She hadn't even discussed the possibility of him moving in full time. He and Roland stayed here because it was winter. Because she convinced him Roland didn't need to be in some tent in the snow. Now, this was her and her wife's bedroom. She found it wasn't as frightening as she had once thought it would be.

She stripped out of her clothing and went into the bathroom. Walking up to the mirror she peered at her reflection. There was still faint, but healing bruises on her cheek. She let out a shaky breath. _Who would have thought she would be married to Emma Swan?_ She snorted, shaking her head. _Hell, who would have thought that the Savior could fall in love with the Evil Queen._

She didn't hear Emma come in when she felt warm hands on her bare hips. She looked in the mirror at the other woman.

"You okay," the blonde asked?

Regina nodded and smiled softly, "Yes. I guess I'm just trying to get my head around all this."

The blonde turned Regina to face her, "It is a lot to take in. Are you having regrets?"

Regina's eyebrows shot up, "What? No. I just." She paused looking into the Sheriff's face, "I just never thought I'd be this happy."

"And are you," Emma's voice grew husky as she pulled the brunette closer.

"Y-yes," she stuttered. She wanted to explain what she was feeling, but the blonde's lips covered her mouth. Soon, her thoughts were only on the younger woman's tongue and hands.

Emma's hot wet lips trailed kisses along her jawline and down her neck. She hummed with pleasure as those same lips went lower.

"This is what you want, right," Regina said, fighting a moan as the blonde's tongue flicked over her collar bone.

Emma stopped, rising up to look in Mayor's eyes, "More than anything."

Regina's heart fluttered at the confession. Those emerald green eyes held the key to her soul and she knew in this very moment, that she was telling the truth. Desire pooled between the brunette's thighs. She grabbed the hem of Emma's shirt and yanked it over her head.

The blonde slowly began unbuttoning the fly of her jeans, never taking her eye off Regina. She looked away long enough to pulled her boots off and then stood naked before her wife.

Taking a step forward the Mayor pressed their bare bodies together. The sensation alone was one of pleasure and yearning. She slipped her hand behind the blonde's neck and pulled her in for a gentle kiss. Her body screamed for Emma's touch. It screamed for release, yet she wanted this to last. She wanted her wedding night to be meaningful. There would be plenty of time for sex, but right now, she wanted to make love with the Sheriff.

As if reading her mind, Emma returned the kiss with just as much emotion as the Mayor. It was slow and soft, but intense. The blonde pulled back with a smile. She interlocked their fingers and led the older woman into the bedroom.

Emma turned the brunette so her back was to the bed. She pushed gently making the back of Regina's knee hit the edge of the mattress and she sat down. The Mayor slowly crawled backward on up the bed and Emma climbed onto her knees.

The Sheriff let her eyes traveled over the brunette's body. Regina would have felt ashamed or shy before at the intense look in the other woman's eyes, but not now. Now, she actually felt confident. She knew the blonde wanted her as much as she wanted the blonde.

Emma lowered herself over the Mayor, her hair cascading down around the brunette's face. It was the sexiest thing she'd ever seen. Her breath hitched and she licked her lips. She felt an exhilarating rush when their bodies met. They had slept together in the Enchanted Forest, maybe you could say they had even made love. But now, there was something different. It wasn't magical in the sense of spells and white light, but in every other sense of the word.

Emma brought her mouth to Regina's. The wetness between the brunette's legs was almost more than she could handle. She growled low in her throat when the Sheriff's knee slid between her legs. It slowly moved upwards, and then stopped just short of reaching her center. Another growl escaped the Mayor's mouth.

The blonde smiled into the kiss. She had full control over Regina and she knew it, "So you plan to tease me?"

Emma pulled back, her lips still curled upward, "Not at all Madame Mayor. I plan to pleasure you, over and over."

Regina grabbed the blonde's hips, pulling them flush with her own, "Prove it."

The Sheriff stared down at her for a moment and then grinned. She went straight for the older woman's neck. She gently nipped at the flesh before licking away the slight sting with the tip of her tongue. Her tongue was hot and wet and moved lower, unbearably slow. Emma moved her hands from Regina's sides up to the swell of her breast. Her flesh was electrified with each touch of the other woman.

The heat of the blonde's breath was over her nipple and Emma pulled it into her mouth. Her tongue danced wildly over it. Regina arched up giving easier access for the Sheriff. The brunette raised her hips, in hope of making contact with the younger woman's knee, but Emma pulled back. Regina growled loudly in frustration.

The blonde seemed to ignore her as her mouth moved lower. Her tongue dipped into her belly button and had it not been for being so turned on, it might have tickled. Hands slid down her body and rested on her hips. Emma was driving her mad. Her patience was growing thin.

Emma stopped just above her pubic bone. Green eyes flicked up locking with her brown ones. She gradually moved down pausing to push the olive skinned legs apart. She knew firsthand how good sex with Emma could be. Now, it was enhanced. She remembered wanting Emma in the Enchanted Forest, but now, she needed her.

She watched Emma lower herself over her sex. The blonde's eyes were still on her. Slowly, Emma licked her pink tongue over the slick folds of Regina's lips. She threw her head back and groaned. She waited for another swipe of the other woman's tongue, but it didn't come.

Regina raised her head to peer back at the blonde. As soon as their eyes locked again, Emma ran her tongue through her sex. She was starting to understand. The Sheriff wanted her to watch. The blonde repeated the move and Regina rocked her hips forward. She reached her hand down to grab the younger woman's hair.

Emma's tongue picked up the pace. The brunette was finding it hard to keep her eyes open. She made sure to rub herself over the blonde's face each time her hip rocked forward. She needed to feel all of the blonde. Without warning the Sheriff slipped two fingers inside her. Emma covered her mouth over the Mayor's sex at the same time. The cry that passed her lips sounded like someone else to her own ears. Regina rocked her hips faster and tightened grip in the blonde locks. She felt Emma suck her clit into her mouth and she almost lost it. The feeling was so intense and she was so close to the edge. Her legs were beginning to tremble and her back arched up off the mattress. With one final cry, her orgasm washed over her.

Emma placed a soft kiss to her overly sensitive center before she moved back up the Mayor's trembling body. Regina's eyes were closed when she felt the blonde's mouth on hers. The smell of her own scent on the younger woman's face was intoxicating.

The Sheriff pulled back and looked down at her, "You are so incredibly beautiful."

Regina blushed, but smiled, "I'm glad you think so. Let's hope you still think so in a few years."

Emma chuckled, "I can promise you, I will never think differently. I love you."

The emotion was thick, and she believed every word, "I love you."

Regina placed her hand on Emma's shoulder and pushed her back. She slowly turned her body so she was hovering over the blonde, "My turn." Her sultry voice hummed out.

The sheriff's eyes grew dark, leaving nothing but raw desire. Regina couldn't help the smirk she wore, "I hope you're prepared. It's going to be a long night."

Emma grinned, "Prove it."


End file.
